Thursday, October 1, 2026
For over a decade, the Rockaway peninsula has been without direct access to radiation oncology services. Now residents can be cared for close by, at Episcopal Health Services’ new cancer center at the Walsh Ambulatory Pavilion.
Opened on Feb. 26, the center, spanning 50,000 square feet across five floors, is the first specialty service in the building. In addition to radiation oncology, the $18 million addition to the EHS network will continue to offer medical oncology services, while its neighbor across the street, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, will continue providing surgical oncology.
Donald Morrish, EHS’s president and chief executive officer, said in a news release that the cancer center’s opening marks a significant step forward in providing high-quality care for the community.
“By investing in advanced technology, new facilities, and expert physicians,” Morrish stated, “we are strengthening our ability to diagnose, treat and support patients through every phase of their cancer journey.”
The opening of the center, which will have the capability of treating nearly 30 types of cancer, ends a 14-year absence of radiation oncology service in the Rockaways. The treatment was previously offered by the Peninsula Hospital Center, which closed in April 2012 after filing for bankruptcy. Its closure forced patients to seek care in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Nassau County.
The state Department of Health ranks cancer as New York’s second-leading cause of death, behind heart disease. Each year, nearly 115,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed with cancer, with 56 percent of cancer deaths related to tobacco use.
EHS’s interest in improving care for the 200,000 residents of the Rockaways stems from findings published in its annual Community Health Needs Assessments. In 2024 they identified 14 types of cancer, including colorectal and pancreatic, that had higher rates locally than those in New York City. In its 2025 assessment, which surveyed more than 200 participants, EHS found that 22 percent of the respondents had to leave the peninsula for oncology care.
Patients at the center will also have access to immunotherapy, hormone therapy and clinical trials. It will offer supportive services such as cancer navigation, oncology social work and pastoral support, as well as genetic counseling and testing, in which specialized counselors review personal and family medical histories before conducting tests. With inpatient physical rehabilitation, nutritional help and a pharmacy as well, the new facility will provide patients with physical, emotional and psychological help.
It boasts a new TrueBeam linear accelerator, an advanced radiotherapy system that targets tumors while minimizing the effects on healthy tissue. It also features a PET and CT scanner, as well as infusion therapy.
Dr. Mark Ashamalla, chief of radiation oncology at EHS, said the arrival of TrueBeam will provide an effective method of treatment without disturbing a patient’s daily life. “This expansion strengthens our ability to provide timely care and improves continuity throughout the treatment process,” he wrote in a statement.
Ashamalla, who assumed his role in October, joins Dr. Marc Warshawsky, EHS’s chief of hematology and oncology. Warshawsky completed his medical degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and headed his own private practice for more than 15 years.
Also joining them is Dr. Sheldon Genack, chairman of EHS’s Department of Surgery. He specializes in treating diseases of the ears, nose, sinuses and throat, and completed his medical degree at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
In the news release, Warshawsky said that receiving a cancer diagnosis influences every part of a patient’s life, and added that the center would help support everyone in the community.
“Having our medical, radiation and surgical oncology teams under one roof significantly enhances patient care by fostering better communication, collaboration, and efficiency,” he wrote in a later email to the Herald. “We are able to meet frequently about our patients, share knowledge and coordinate seamless care more effectively.”
