Community Health Network

Community Hospital South opens new medical oncology center; Comforting atmosphere offers healing environment in new center, part of comprehensive cancer program

For release: 7/15/2009

Indianapolis, IN---Community Hospital South opened its new medical oncology center last week (July 6^th), located on the third floor of the hospital’s professional building. The facility offers state-of-the-art cancer treatments.

“This new center marks the continued growth of our outpatient oncology centers within Community Health Network,” said Joe Heckman, vice president of oncology services for the network. “With all of our cancer services, we provide a body of expertise in quality and patient safety, oncology nurse education, pharmacy integration, symptom management services, social services support, and oversight by the cancer committee.”

During renovation of the new clinic, the practice of Hemachandra Venkatesh, M.D., a medical oncologist and hematologist, began seeing patients. Now complete, the clinic offers expanded services including infusion services like chemotherapy.

Dr. Venkatesh graduated from Bangalore Medical College in Bangalore, India. He completed his internal medicine residency at Grace Hospital at Wayne State University and completed a fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in hematology and oncology. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Venkatesh’s areas of expertise include lymphoma and other hematologic malignancies, such as acute and chronic leukemia and multiple myeloma. He has special expertise in intensive therapies to treat aggressive lymphomas and Hodgkin’s disease. He strongly advocates the use of state-of-the-art therapies, coupled with personalized, compassionate care.

Community’s comprehensive cancer services include cutting-edge specialized cancer therapies, including high-dose rate treatment for prostate, lung, breast and gynecological cancers; medical oncology; surgical oncology; inpatient care; imaging; and laboratory.

About Community Health Network
Ranked among the top 10 integrated health care networks in the nation, Community Health Network has more than 70 sites of care throughout central Indiana. This includes Community Hospitals East, North and South in Indianapolis and Community Hospital Anderson; The Indiana Heart Hospital, a dedicated heart hospital; Indiana Surgery Centers; Community Physicians of Indiana; Community Home Health Services; MedCheck walk-in care centers and MEDPOINT express convenience clinics; employer health services; nursing homes; and other health care facilities. Community Health Network is committed to getting you well and back to your life. For more information about Community Health Network or to find a physician, call 800-777-7775 or visit eCommunity.com.

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Melissa Clark
Media Relations
Community Health Network
317-621-3621
E-mail