One of the great things that I have been able to do since moving here is work with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Relay For Life (RFL). I have had the honor to work with Lisa DeBusk, the ACS Representative in the area. I am one of the Chairmen this year, along with Bob Rose, of the RFL event this year with a goal to raise $218,000. This may seem to be a large goal, but after attending RFL Training, it appears we may have gone to low. Washington County, when compared to counties of the same size in population, was ranked #6 in the entire nation when it came to how much was given on average by each person. This is in large part to the hard work and dedication of Dr. Wendy Strawbridge and her husband George Strawbridge and the team they have developed over the last several years. This is a feat that Washington County can be proud of.

I am happy to announce that we have hired a Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Bernie Tisdale, to work at the Cancer Center. He is coming our way via Richmond, VA. He will be here in February 2007. He is excited about this opportunity to provide cancer treatment to our patients in our new facility. I will have more on Dr. Tisdale as we get closer to his arrival.

Construction continues to move along at a fast clip. More and more of the building continues to develop as walls and floors are completed, making it easier to work on the inside of the building. The next major milestone is the arrival of our linear accelerator which will provide radiation treatments to our patients. The machine is on schedule to arrive the second week of December.

One of the improvements that will be made to the site is the expansion of the road (Lee Highway) in front of the Cancer Center entrance to accommodate turning lanes. This may cause some temporary delays, but will improve access to the site when we open.

If reading my blog triggers a comment or a question, or if you just want to say hello, please post a comment to me. I really want to hear what the community thinks about the Cancer Center and I want to make sure that you are kept informed with our progress and what is happening in our never ending fight against cancer.

I am sorry that I have not been blogging for awhile, but I had my left hip replaced and my doctor insisted that I take a few days off to recuperate.

As you can see by driving by the site or through our construction pictures at http://www.jmh.org/, the building process is moving along at a fast pace. With close to 100% of the framework steel completed, you can know appreciate the size and shape of the building. Work has begun on the actual linear accelerator where radiation therapy will take place. Walls have even begun to take form in some locations. It is a sight that brings a smile to my face every time I see it. Please take time to drive by and see for yourself if you haven’t already done so.

Today's best cancer care can be found in a Commission on Cancer approved oncology program. Oncology programs earning recognition from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons offer high-quality cancer care. Only one in four hospitals that treat cancer receives this special approval. It recognizes the quality of comprehensive cancer care available at a facility and offers a commitment that you will have access to all of the various medical specialists who are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Receiving care at a Commission on
Cancer approved cancer program ensures that you will receive:

- Quality care close to home.
- Comprehensive care offering a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment.
- Multi-specialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options available to cancer patients.
- Access to cancer-related information, education, and support.
- A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results, and offers lifelong patient follow-up.
- Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.
- Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options.

Approval by the Commission on Cancer is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide the best in diagnosis and treatment of cancers. To meet the standards necessary for Commission approval, each cancer program, and the organization that controls it, must undergo a rigorous evaluation process and a review of its performance. In order to maintain approval, facilities with approved cancer programs must under an on-site review every three years.

Currently, there are approximately 1,500 Commission on Cancer approved cancer programs in the United States and Puerto Rico, representing close to 25 percent of all hospitals. I am proud to announce that JMH received ongoing accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Program during our last inspection which was held September 18th. JMH has been accredited since 1990.

While we are focusing on our quality of care and construction of our new center, we are also concentrating on cancer screening and education programs for the community. We recently had our first Prostate Screening at the hospital on September 20th. It was a great success with 84 gentleman taking advantage of the free PSA (blood test) to test for prostate cancer. We discovered four people who needed further testing. We know that screenings really do save lives. We are working on our next screening activity which will address lung cancer.

Ladies Night Out, a breast cancer event we host in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, was a great success on October 5th with close to 200 participants receiving over $40,000 worth of health screenings free of charge. Eric Latham, who recently walked across the United States to raise money for the cure of cancer, was our speaker and was an inspiration to all who came.

You may recently have noticed our new TV commercials and billboards which advertise our latest technology in the fight against cancer and that is digital mammography. It is the first and only unit in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. You can go to http://www.jmh.org/ for more information.

If reading my blog triggers a comment or a question, or if you just want to say hello, please post a comment to me. I really want to hear what the community thinks about the Cancer Center and I want to make sure that you are kept informed with our progress and what is happening in our never ending fight against cancer.