Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) is pleased to announce that it will be upgrading its radiation therapy equipment at the Cancer Centers of NAH in Flagstaff over the next few months. NAH will be upgrading the machine that produces and delivers radiation therapy to treat cancer.
Radiation therapy is cancer care used to treat certain types of tumors. Radiation oncologists use a large machine called a linear accelerator for radiation therapy. NAH has one linear accelerator in Flagstaff and one in Sedona. Both machines meet all national quality and safety standards, however, it is nearing the time when the linear accelerator in Flagstaff should be replaced. NAH is committed to providing patients with the latest technology and best-in-class care, and for that reason, this update in Flagstaff will ensure that NAH can continue to deliver advanced cancer care.
This upgrade will not cause an interruption in care from NAH, however there will be a change in location for radiation therapy. Patients who are receiving or scheduled to start receiving radiation therapy at the Cancer Centers of NAH in Flagstaff, as of Monday, March 31, will need to travel to Sedona for their care. The same care team who has been treating patients in Flagstaff will continue the patient’s care in Sedona. NAH has arranged transportation options for patients who need to travel to Sedona, and has reached out directly to patients affected by this temporary change. This short-term transition to Sedona is only for radiation therapy appointments.
The installation in Flagstaff will take about four months, and once the new equipment is installed and tested in our Flagstaff clinic, patients will be able to resume radiation therapy there or continue radiation therapy in Sedona.
We will continue to offer all other cancer services in Flagstaff during this time, including new patient appointments, follow-up appointments, simulations, surgeries and hospital treatment.