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Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette Logo Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette

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Major foundation donation from AGH medical director

(April 27, 2017) Atlantic General Hospital Foundation recently received a $10,000 donation from medical director of surgical services at Atlantic General Surgical Associates and the Atlantic General Bariatric Center, Dr. Alae Zarif and his wife, Kimberly.
Zarif performs general, bariatric, vascular and minimally invasive surgeries. He joined Atlantic General’s medical staff in April 2006 and is certified by the American Board of Surgery. Prior to leaving the medical field to raise four children, Kimberly Zarif obtained a master’s in speech pathology and completed the surgical physician’s assistant program at Yale University.
Jack Burbage and Michelle Fager, co-chairs of the Atlantic General Campaign for the Future, were on hand for the presentation of the donation. The new cancer center will be named the John H. “Jack” Burbage, Jr. Regional Cancer Care Center in honor of Burbage’s personal and financial contributions to the hospital and the community.
“We’re extremely grateful for the unwavering support of the community and integral members of the Atlantic General Hospital family,” Burbage said. “The way healthcare services are delivered is changing, but Atlantic General’s commitment to state-of-the-art medicine only grows stronger. We can help AGH meet the challenges of providing the very best healthcare services right here – close to home.”
The funds raised during the $10 million Atlantic General Campaign for the Future will allow Atlantic General Hospital to complete $35 million in capital projects. Among them is construction of a new 18,000-square-foot full service cancer care center, completion of a women’s health center in West Ocean City, renovation of existing surgical facilities and expansion of emergency services within Atlantic General Hospital as well as improvements to inpatient care areas.
To date, the Foundation has already secured almost $3 million of the $10 million goal in pledges, commitments and grants.
The new 18,000-square-foot Regional Cancer Care Center, which is to be built on hospital-owned property at the corner of Route 113 and Old Ocean City Boulevard (Route 346) in Berlin, will provide one centrally-located, convenient facility for the care and treatment of individuals with cancer and blood disorders.
In addition to existing medical oncology and chemotherapy infusion services and integrative therapies, the new center will include radiation oncology, PET imaging, laboratory services, community education and support facilities, and telemedicine technology that will allow patients and their physicians to consult with other cancer care experts, preventing unnecessary travel for consultation and follow up care for patients who may require more intensive cancer care services.
Construction is due to begin in July 2017, with completion in early 2018.
Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the residents of Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties in Maryland and Sussex County, Delaware since May 1993. 
Built by the commitment and generosity of a dedicated community, the hospital’s state-of-the-art facility in Berlin, combines old-fashioned personal attention with the latest in technology and services. It provides quality specialty care such as weight loss surgery, orthopedics, outpatient infusion and chemotherapy for individuals with cancer or blood/autoimmune disorders and a comprehensive women’s diagnostic center.
Atlantic General Health System, its network of more than 40 primary care providers and specialists, care for residents and visitors throughout the region.  For more information about Atlantic General Hospital, visit www.atlanticgeneral.org.