Dr. Richard W. Kmetzo Cancer Resource Center

The Dr. Richard W. Kmetzo Cancer Resource Center is the new front door to the Norma F. Pfriem Cancer Institute at Bridgeport Hospital. Conveniently located on the first floor of the hospital in space shared by the Volunteer Services office, the Center is a resource for patients, their families, physicians, other healthcare staff and the public.

A cancer diagnosis can be frightening to patients and their families and friends. The Dr. Richard W. Kmetzo Cancer Resource Center can help answer the questions that arise. Staffed by a certified oncology nurse who serves as the hospital’s Cancer Resource Specialist, the Center includes a reading library of magazines and journals with the latest information on cancer care and a computer workstation.

Most of all, the Center’s staff provides reassurance during a difficult time. Comfortable, homelike furnishings provide a serene setting for patients and families to meet with the Center’s staff.

Dedicated in August 2007, the Dr. Richard W. Kmetzo Cancer Resource Center was made possible in part by a generous gift from the Kmetzo family to honor Dr. Kmetzo’s memory and to thank Bridgeport Hospital for the care provided to him. Dr. Kmetzo, an optometrist, died of lung cancer in 1994 at age 42, after being diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease. Shortly after his death, the Kmetzo family donated funds to establish a resource library in Bridgeport Hospital’s Oncology Unit. With the recent expansion of the hospital’s cancer services, the Cancer Resource Center is an extension of the original library.

For more information, call the Dr. Richard W. Kmetzo Resource Center at 203-384-3904.