Fox Chase-Temple Bone Marrow Transplant Program Earns Special National Accreditation; Becomes First Adult BMT Program in Pennsylvania to Receive Recognition

PHILADELPHIA (August 9, 2000) -- After meeting rigorous standards of treatment and care, the Fox Chase-Temple Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program has received full accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Hematopoietic Cell Therapy (FAHCT). The Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program is the only adult program in Pennsylvania to receive the highest accreditation (Level 1) offered and is one of only 36 FAHCT accredited programs in the nation.

"This certification reflects our extremely high standard of quality within the Fox Chase-Temple Bone Marrow Program," said Kenneth F. Mangan, M.D., director of the Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program. "FAHCT accreditation is the benchmark for quality care that patients often look for when considering where to be treated. The Fox Chase-Temple BMT program is a model for other programs in Pennsylvania and the nation."

FAHCT is a nonprofit organization developed for the purposes of self-assessment and accreditation in the field of hematopoietic cell therapy and includes review of all phases of hematopoietic collection, processing and transplantation including allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplantation, and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. FAHCT certification is voluntary, offering a comprehensive and effective evaluation of medical institutions performing bone marrow transplantation and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

The Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program recently relocated to new, state-of-the-art facilities on the Fox Chase and Jeanes Hospital campus. The program is part of an academic and clinical affiliation formed by Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University in 1998. Since the inception of Temple's BMT program 12 years ago, doctors have performed 532 transplants. For more information or to contact the Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program, please call 215-214-3100.

Fox Chase Cancer Center, one of the nation's first comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute in 1974, conducts basic and clinical research; programs of prevention, detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site at: www.fccc.edu.