Arundel Medical Center

The courage that helped Lance Armstrong beat cancer and win cycling's most prestigious race inspired hundreds of people yesterday at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, where he introduced new cancer-fighting technology that uses precise beams of radiation to target tumors. "I never would have won the Tour de France without the illness," Armstrong said at the event, during which the hospital also announced it would name the cancer center after Geaton A. DeCesaris Jr., 47, of Lothian and his wife, JoAnne, in honor of their $3 million contribution.

Anne Arundel Medical Center threw a party yesterday for one of its most dedicated volunteers, who just happens to be two years younger than the hospital. Mina Audesirk turned 100 on Saturday. She remains active, knitting baby caps and helping with the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation's mailings. "I'm speechless," said Audesirk, her head topped with a sparkling tiara, as she looked out at the room full of friends, including many fellow hospital volunteers. "For me to be speechless is really something."

The Anne Arundel Medical Center, in Annapolis, has been fined $20,000 by the Maryland Department of the Environment after reporting two separate incidents in which cancer patients received the wrong doses of radiation. The second mishap occurred in November, months after the hospital was ordered to take corrective action after a similar incident in May, MDE officials said. The fine was the maximum allowed for two such incidents, according to Roland Fletcher, the MDE's program manager for radiological health.

The courage that helped Lance Armstrong beat cancer and win cycling's most prestigious race inspired hundreds of people yesterday at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, where he introduced new cancer-fighting technology that uses precise beams of radiation to target tumors. "I never would have won the Tour de France without the illness," Armstrong said at the event, during which the hospital also announced it would name its cancer center after Geaton A. DeCesaris Jr., 47, of Lothian and his wife, JoAnne, in honor of their $3 million contribution.

The demand for medical care in Anne Arundel County is growing so quickly that Anne Arundel Medical Center is looking to expand again, only two years after moving from its longtime home in downtown Annapolis to a new, 103-acre campus in Parole. Hospital officials announced in February that they were beginning a nine-month planning process for possible expansion. The same rise in demand that prompted the move to Parole is causing hospital leaders to look for new ways to grow, said Martin L. Doordan, president of the Anne Arundel Health System.

A black political action group, charging that Anne Arundel Medical Center has not involved minority firms in its projects, asked the Annapolis hospital Monday to hire more minority-owned companies for a major capital improvements project."

Anne Arundel Medical Center has been ranked among the nation's top 100 hospitals by an Illinois health care data firm. Compiled annually by the Evanston-based firm Solucient, the list ranks hospitals for their achievement in four areas: patient care, operations, financial performance and community service. For its 12th annual survey, released last week, Solucient examined more than 6,000 hospitals nationwide. Of them, Anne Arundel Medical Center was the only large Maryland hospital (more than 250 beds)

In the basement cafeteria of Anne Arundel Medical Center last week, Milton Schneiderman showed Annapolis residents colorful sketches of the upscale 130-home community he wants to bring to the heart of the state capital. Called a "once-in-a-century opportunity" by city residents and officials, the Acton's Landing complex of condominium apartments, townhouses and single-family homes -- some to be priced at more than $500,000 -- would replace the hospital when it relocates this fall. It will be the first major residential development in the historic district in decades.

The wildlife at Sandy Point State Park have some new neighbors that glow in the dark.The teddy bears, jumping reindeer and giant elves will come alive during "Lights on the Bay," a holiday light show opening Tuesday. The event, now in its second year, raises money for women's and children's services at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.The flip of a switch transforms a maze of wires and lights in the park into holiday vignettes."When you drive in, the first thing you see is a 40-foot Christmas tree.