Cancer Center Opens In Forest Hill Amid Calls For More Hospitals

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — A new cancer treatment and care center is opening up in Forest Hills, amid calls from locals to expand healthcare services in the neighborhood.

The facility, which is run by The New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS) at 96-10 Metropolitan Avenue, is NYCBS’ sixth location in Queens, according to a report by QNS.

News of the NYCBS treatment center’s opening comes as Forest Hills City Council candidates call on the state to expand hospital access across Queens — an issue that has long-been contentious in the borough, which is the most underserved per-capita of the city's five boroughs and has seen a handful of hospitals close in the past two decades.

The new cancer practice is not a hospital, but as Dr. Jeff Vacirca, CEO of NYCBS puts it, the practice expands “access to medical oncology and hematology services in Forest Hills so we can serve patients close to their home.”

NYCBS’ Forest Hills location shares an office with AdvantageCare Physicians’ offices, so that patients have access to specialists at all times — from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, with physicians on call 24/7.

“The new location will allow us to strengthen our efforts in cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment while increasing access to care for our patients in Queens,” Vacirca told QNS.

The other NYCBS locations in Queens serve Flushing, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Astoria and Whitestone.

To make an appointment at NYCBS, call 718-732-4049 or visit the group’s website.