The Cancer Care Center at Warren General Hospital isn't a place you think about very often...until you or someone close to you needs it.
There is hardly a family in Warren County that hasn't been touched by cancer, and most of them are familiar with the Cancer Care Center. And yet, it is something many of us have come to take for granted.
In its relatively short life, the facility has provided state-of-the-art cancer care to thousands of residents of this county, as well as cancer patients from throughout the region.
The numbers tell a story of both success and need:
- Since 2007, chemotherapy visits have increased 28 percent;
- Infusions during that time have more than doubled;
- Daily chair utilization has increased more than 50 percent and is expected to increase another 50 percent over the next five years.
There was a time not so long ago when people had to drive, or be driven, for hours to receive such treatments. Now people travel here for them, and those lucky enough to live here have only a cross-town journey to receive the same sort of therapy for their cancer that they could receive in more metropolitan areas.
The numbers indicate that the need is growing, and so, the Cancer Care Center needs to grow.
Over the next few weeks, the public will be asked to participate in the campaign to expand the center's chemotherapy area, increase the center's 10 patient chairs to 16, increase the number of oncology examination rooms, increase seating capacity in the waiting area and provide better spaces for other necessary services.
While many of us may bicker and complain about things we perceive that are wrong in this community, there is a gem in our midst that is saving lives every day.
The capital campaign to take the Cancer Care Center well into this new century gives everyone an opportunity to be a part of something special in our community. No gift is too small; no gift is too large.