NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health unveiled its newly renovated Oncology and Infusion Center on Friday, February 27, following a $2 million transformation designed to expand cancer care access and improve the patient experience.
The renovation doubled the facility’s capacity by expanding from five to 13 exam rooms and increasing infusion bays from seven to 11, according to hospital officials. The center also added a full-time plastic surgeon and grew its staff from 16 to 25 employees, representing a 56% increase in service and support personnel.
“This project has been many years in the making,” said Svetlana Lipyanskaya, CEO of South Brooklyn Health, during Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It’s been built and thought of with the help of the city and the state and so many people who work here, and the vision has finally come to life that South Brooklyn Health has a state-of-the-art expanded infusion center and an expanded hematology/oncology practice.”
The upgraded center now integrates multiple services under one roof, including breast cancer prevention, infusion therapy, plastic surgery, rheumatology, medical oncology, and survivorship services, providing patients with a comprehensive continuum of care.
Lipyanskaya emphasized that the renovation addressed more than just space constraints. “This place always had heart,” she said. “Now it has the support that it needs to go forward and continue to grow and continue to take care of this population, a very vulnerable population at the most vulnerable time in their lives. It’s amazing that we now have a space that matches the quality of the doctors and the nurses that work here.”
The ceremony brought together hospital staff, community Advisory Board members, local residents, and elected officials, many with personal connections to the center’s mission.
Rosanne De Janeiro, chair of the South Brooklyn Health Community Advisory Board, shared her family’s experience with the facility. Her husband received treatment for stage 4 prostate cancer at South Brooklyn Health for five years after his 2018 diagnosis, and she was later treated for breast cancer at the same center.
“I’m so thankful today for this newly-renovated oncology infusion center,” De Janeiro said. “The waiting area, the additional screening rooms and infusion bays, and of course the additional services that are available make a very scary and trying time for those going through cancer treatment much less stressful. This hospital helped us and so many others without having to go to another borough.”
Dr. Selwena R. Brewster, chief medical officer at South Brooklyn Health and a breast cancer survivor, praised the center’s patient-focused design. “When you’re able to offer care that you know what it should look like and what it should feel like, it’s an honor,” Brewster said. “We all stand here in just complete, just fullness, fullness to offer this to our community in South Brooklyn. They deserve it.”
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, who brings healthcare professional experience in oncology to her role, celebrated the facility’s impact on Brooklyn’s healthcare landscape. “I understand firsthand what this means to us in Brooklyn because I refuse to say that we don’t provide quality healthcare in Brooklyn,” she said. “Brooklyn, we’re coming up and we’re doing excellent.”
The center’s opening comes as Lipyanskaya prepares for a leadership transition to Maimonides Health, where she will serve as CEO once the city’s planned acquisition is finalized, according to hospital officials.
The renovation represents a significant investment in South Brooklyn’s healthcare infrastructure, addressing the growing need for accessible cancer care services in the community while creating a more comfortable environment for patients during treatment.
