RANDOLPH CANCER CENTER PROVIDES HIGH END CARE Story & Photos by Greta Lint TO FIGHT CANCER LOCALLY
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Doctors James Palermo, Christine McCarty and DeQuincy Lewis enjoy working at a smaller hospital because they can take time with their patients, communicate amongst themselves about cases and find comfort with low turnover in support staff. 18 | asheboromagazine.com
ocal cancer patients say they feel “blessed to have the Randolph Cancer Center.” It offers services found at larger hospitals. But, one major difference is communication. Doctors can ask and answer questions quickly. Oncologist Dr. Christine McCarty is the medical director. She is joined by Dr. James Palermo, radiation oncologist and Dr. DeQuincy Lewis, medical oncologist and hematologist. From New Jersey, McCarty studied in Florida, where she ultimately opened her own practice. Her husband, Dick Tracy, and she, routinely vacationed in North Carolina. She longed to be a doctor, not a business owner. When a position opened here, they moved and brought their BMW motorcycle and side car, their chosen method of transportation in the lower 48 states and the Alps. A brain tumor in his first year of college was probably the impetus for Palermo to go into medicine. Originally from Winston-Salem, he was studying international business at Georgetown University when he changed to pre-med. He had worked at other hospitals before coming to Asheboro. The level of communication was a huge drawing card for him. From Hillsborough, Lewis said getting into oncology was by "pure happenstance." He was at NC A&T University
