W&I to open Middletown facility

PROVIDENCE – Women & Infants Hospital is opening a Center for Health and Well-Being in Middletown next month, offering a full array of complementary therapies for oncology patients as well as general wellness programming for women.
The new facility, at 333 Valley Road, is part of the Integrative Care Program within Women’s Oncology program at Women & Infants.
“The Center for Health and Well-Being is a tremendous resource for the women of the East Bay,” said Sandra Scuncio, director of the Integrative Care Program. “We will offer the full range of complementary therapies, traditional and innovative health and wellness programming, and a women’s health library full of resource materials on a variety of topics, from cancer to infertility to post-partum depression.”
Among the offerings will be lymphedema therapy, which is specialized massage for women who have had surgery for breast or gynecologic cancer and develop swelling in the lymph node area. If not caught and treated early, lymphedema can develop into a life-long problem with a negative impact on a woman’s quality of life.
The site will also offer acupuncture, therapeutic massage, reiki, hypnotherapy, guided imagery, reflexology, meditation, facials and skin care. In addition, there will be programs dedicated to weight loss, exercise and nutrition, including lectures and yoga sessions on the nearby beach. Eventually, there are plans to offer counseling for cancer patients.
The Integrative Care Program already has offices in Providence, Fall River and South County.
“While we started in Providence working with cancer patients, recognizing that healing is a personal process that requires dimensions beyond medication and surgery, our focus with this project is women in general,” Scuncio said. “There is a growing amount of evidence that complementary therapies have benefits for each of us.”
For more information about the center, call (401) 846-0042.