GREENSBURG – Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) unveiled its new Cancer Center on the fourth floor of the local community hospital Saturday to the community.
The Cancer Center grand opening, which was held for the public on Saturday, Jan. 23, served as the culmination of several year’s work. DCMH has been providing cancer care since 1985, according to Oncology Manager Cindy Daihl.
“This has been a long time in the making,” Daihl said. “It has grown from one room to using some vacant areas as the hospital started to build on new wings to the present day, where we currently have more than twice the amount of square feet compared to where we moved from.”
The previous area of DCMH set aside for cancer care was a set of four rooms, which Daihl said were “working double duty for physician visits and treatment rooms.” The new Cancer Center features seven treatment bays and four exam rooms for physicians to see patients.
The Cancer Center also has space to host the Cancer Support Group, which meets at 5 p.m. each month on the second Tuesday of the month.
“The Cancer Support Group is for any type of cancer and you do not have to have treatment here to come to the support group,” Daihl said.
Daihl said DCMH is thrilled to have Dr. Jaime Ayon, from St. Francis, on site three days a week to see patients, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Cancer Center is able to offer infusions to patients five days a week. In addition, Daihl said all the Cancer Center nurses have been nationally certified to administer chemotherapy medications.
Cancer patients are not the only ones benefitting from the new center, however. According to Daihl, the new Cancer Center treatment bays can be used for any kind of outpatient infusion, which she said do not necessarily need to be prescribed by a DCMH doctor. The comfortable treatment bays offer patients a relaxing atmosphere in which to receive their medications.
“We are so delighted with this new center because it is just so beautiful and I think it is really a place where we can see more people at one time,” Daihl said. “Our community really needs it, because if we are going to keep people in our community, then let’s build something that will accommodate that.”
While the new modern and updated Cancer Center will surely inspire confidence for patients that they are receiving the best care possible, Daihl said DCMH is continuing to improve the quality of care available, keeping it close by at the same time.
“It’s not that this care wasn’t available before, because everything we are doing right now we have been doing, just now we have the Cancer Center,” Daihl said.
Each treatment bay has its own television, wifi and heated massage recliners. The Cancer Center also has laptops for patients to use during treatment and a small kitchen on the same level.
“It’s the little things that make the difference,” Daihl said.
Dr. Ayon is also able to do bone marrow aspiration, which is not to be confused with bone marrow transplants. Bone marrow aspiration is a testing procedure that is the first step in identifying cancers like lymphoma and leukemia.
“It’s just one more procedure that he does here, rather than having to travel,” Daihl said. “While we were always able to provide good care in our former place, just the added room and the nice features make it especially attractive to our community that they can come here for cancer care. Close to home, we still provide excellent care.”
Dr. Ayon agreed. When asked what his favorite feature on the fourth floor was, Dr. Ayon said “the updates and the comfortable atmosphere.” That atmosphere is not only more comfortable than the previous treatment area, but safer, according to Dr. Ayon, because doctors and nurses will be able to see all the patients at the same time.
“I’m definitely excited about the new place,” Dr. Ayon said. “It is an upgrade that puts us on the level with any cancer center in the region, keeping the great care that we are well known for, but mostly the personalized care we are always striving to offer.”
Both Dr. Ayon and Hospital Foundation Director Bryan Robbins said the new Cancer Center would not be possible without the support of the local community.
“We have gotten to this level thanks to the support not only of DCMH, but the community,” Dr. Ayon said. “The growth of the hospital and this particular area is thanks to the support of the community and our patients.”
Robbins said the fourth floor Cancer Center was always planned to be the next phase of expansion after the medical/surgical wing was completed.
“It’s a wonderful example of the community coming together for a great cause. We’re very thankful on the Hospital Foundation side for the donations we did receive,” Robbins said. “This is a long time coming, but I think the hospital and Hospital Foundation was responsible in how we went about it in spite of the constantly changing face of healthcare.”
Many rural community hospitals have faced significant challenges in recent years, several of them forced to scale back the services they were able to offer. Robbins believes DCMH has been able to move forward due to fiscally responsible decisions and planning over the past few years.
“I think we made the right decision,” Robbins said. “It’s just wonderful to have such great facilities to match the wonderful staff we have here. It’s a wonderful day for the community and a great day for our hospital.”
-Daily News
Contact: Amanda Browning 812-663-3111×7004; amanda.browning@greensburgdailynews.com