The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons recently granted its Outstanding Achievement Award to Riverside Walter Reed Hospital as a result of surveys performed during 2011.

The Gloucester hospital is one of a group of 106 currently accredited and newly accredited cancer programs across the United States to receive the honor, said Angie Healy, Walter Reed’s marketing director.

The local hospital underwent a rigorous on-site evaluation, Healy said, receiving a compliance rating for 29 cancer program standards.

Fewer than one out of four programs surveyed last year received the recognition, she said. There are currently more than 1,500 commission-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, a release said.
The local cancer center has a staff of approximately 20, according to Dr. Magi Khalil, an oncologist who is Walter Reed’s cancer committee chairman. The center is part of Peninsula Cancer Institute, which has facilities in Newport News...