The Buzz of Northwest Georgia:
-Three-Dot Buzz, political edition: Two chairs by the name of Lumsden? ... Another term for Wright? ... Preston Smith: running again in 2010....
-Northwest Georgia's boom in cancer care services: New alliance for clinical studies, expanded care, coordinator highlight growth
-Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
2009 Heart of the Community Award winners announced: Eight local unsung heroes-- Henrice Berien, Dr. Craig McDaniel, Pete McDonald, Steven McDowell, Ronnie Wallace and Ralph White -- have been selected as recipients of the 2009 Heart of the Community Awards of Honor. These six individuals, along with Board of Governors' Honorees-- David and Susan Harvey -- will be honored on Feb. 14 at the 23rd Annual An Affair of the Heart. Please click Heart of the Community
Flood watch in effect Tuesday, Wednesday AM as heavy rain expected: Also possible Wednesday night--snow. For more, click WeatherCenter
Synovus corrects report, says loan loss total at $350 million: Says the parent company of Citizens First Bank and Georgia Bank & Trust: "The correct current estimate for the fourth quarter loan loss provision is approximately $350 million with a fourth quarter estimated charge-off ratio of approximately 3.2 percent."> Synovus
Holiday traffic death toll--20 people: The New Year's holiday weekend ended at midnight Sunday with 20 deaths reported to the Georgia State Patrol over the 102-hour period. There were 17 fatal crashes and wet roads were cited as a major factor in overall accidents statewide, the state patrol reports> Details
Weather Center / Brought to you by Roman Court
-Today: 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, high near 56.
-Tonight: 100% chance of showers, low around 54.
-Tuesday: Occasional showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 68. Rain chance: 80%.
-Tuesday might: 100% chance of rain. Low of 48.
-Wednesday: More rain with a chance of snow overnight.
-For additional updates, please click WeatherCenter
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable / brought to you by Riverside Toyota
-Final Norman's No-Nos for this college season: SEC v. Big 12; Tebow vs. Bradford. The loser is . . . For more, click Arey
Downtown Headlines
-'Mimi' author signing copies today; Downtown Development Authority meets Thursday; rodeo to round up 5,000 this weekend> Downtown
Northwest Georgia's boom in cancer care services
>New alliance for clinical studies, expanded care, coordinator highlight growth
By Natalie Simms
With more than 1,000 new cases of cancer expected to be diagnosed this year in Floyd, Polk and Chattooga counties, local health officials are focusing efforts to meet the growing need for care.
Just in the last quarter of 2008, we saw the opening of Floyd's Breast Center and its Mobile Mammography Unit as well as increasing donations to Cancer Navigators, including a $75,000 contribution from General Electric.
In addition, Harbin Clinic has been working on plans for a local cancer center for almost two years but no definite plans have been released as of yet. But the needs are increasing, so what growth lies on the oncology front for 2009 and beyond?
Harbin Clinic officials said they hope to have news on the developments of a Cancer Center in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Harbin's oncology services continue to grow.
One key development is the ongoing search for a director of cancer services, says Dr. Ken Davis, President and CEO of Harbin Clinic.
"This person would take all of our service lines for cancer and coordinate them together so that our patient flows are seamless from one service to the next," says Davis. "Of course, if and when we expand our services, this person would play a key role."
Also, Harbin Clinic recently partnered with the Atlanta Regional Community Clinical Oncology Program.
"We have partnered with a large group of hospitals in Atlanta to participate in national studies," says Dr. Thomas Simpson, Harbin Clinic Medical Oncologist. "Because none of us have enough patients to sustain one study, we can partner together to offer them to all of our patients. This gives patients access to larger groups of studies."
Adds Davis: "This partnership gives Harbin Clinic the ability to participate in over 40 different clinical trials that were previously only offered at places like M.D. Anderson (cancer center). Rome is the first place outside of Atlanta to participate so it will have a real effect on patient care in Northwest Georgia."
Simpson says the program, which includes studies in both Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology, just started in December.
"We have screened several patients and have two enrolled" in studies, Simpson says. "Everything is done here in Rome, from screening to all treatment."
Breast Center, mobile unit off to fast start
Floyd's new Breast Center has been busy. The new Mobile Mammography unit completed 200 mammograms in just its first six weeks of operation. Aimee Griffin, Breast Center director, says they have diagnosed two patients with cancer from studies performed in the mobile unit.
"For our center as a whole, 98 percent of those biopsied have next-day results," Griffin says. "It previously took three to 11 days for results. Our quick turnaround time is one of the key things that we're most proud of."
The Floyd mobile unit will be on the road in Chattooga, Polk, Gordon, Walker and Catoosa counties in the coming year.
"We're targeting places that do not have ready access to mammography services," says Dan Sweitzer, Vice President of Market Development at Floyd. "We'll be at health departments, big retailers like Wal-Mart and various employers. We have a full schedule and will be out five days a week."
Other upcoming plans include more community outreach programs and breast care education.
"We have big plans for community outreach and education, as well as support programs specifically for Polk, Chattooga and Walker counties," says Griffin. "We really hope to see volume growth and pull patients regionally for breast care."
You can contribute to the Breast Center through the Floyd Healthcare Foundation. Click Foundation. A substantial donation has been made by Coosa Valley Federal Credit Union (Archive).
Cancer Navigators halfway to goal of $2.2 million to fund more care
One other growing resource for cancer patients is Cancer Navigators, an organization providing nurse, service and education navigation programs for those who are coping with cancer. With its recent $75,000 donation from GE, Cancer Navigators plans to hire a second nurse navigator to assist patients.
"Our long-term goal is to have five nurse navigators and two to three social workers to care for the 1,000 new patients from Floyd, Chattooga and Polk counties that will be diagnosed each year," says Sweitzer, who also is acting executive director of Cancer Navigators. "We are really expecting an increase in the number of patients we serve, especially breast cancer patients. Therefore, we need to hire a second nurse navigator for breast cancer patients."
Cancer Navigators currently has one nurse navigator, Ann Hook, on staff who is seeing 90-110 active patients in various levels of treatment. In addition, the organization continues to serve those patients who are now survivors.
"Once they have completed treatment, they are still being followed by their physicians," Sweitzer says. "So, we still spend a lot of time with follow-up care."
The organization is continuing fund-raising efforts to reach its goal of $2.2 million by 2010. Sweitzer says they're halfway there.
"We will continue in our fundraising efforts to generate income to provide more services," he said. "To really meet all the needs of our community, we need to continue to grow."
To contribute to Cancer Navigators, please click www.cancernavigatorsga.org
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the parks and rec authority: The posthumous Sports Hall of Fame honor awarded to Gary Tillman is an appreciated one. Word of the honor came amid the third anniversary of the fatal plane crash that killed the Rome business leader, his daughter and another teen. The Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower 5K Road Race is among the most popular events on the local runners circuit--and for good reason.
Valley to Georgia's gas tax structure: So now we're paying a few cents less a gallon--allegedly--because the state's gas tax rolled back in line with dropping fuel prices. Why not just make the tax a straight by-the-gallon tax (i.e., consumption-based) and do away with the arcane formula? (Background)
Peak to corporate contributions to the fight against cancer: As noted in Natalie Simms' story above, both GE and Coosa Valley Federal Credit Union have made large donations--respectively--to Cancer Navigators and Floyd's Breast Center. Local companies, big and small, get tapped on the shoulder quite often each year to help with various projects. Assisting in the region's growing battle against cancer is among the most vital of all.
Business calendar
-Jan. 22: Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce, annual meeting, The Forum, 6:30 p.m. reception; 7 p.m. dinner/program. $45 per person; tables, $360> Click
-Jan. 29: Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, reception at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30 p.m. Cartersville First Baptist Church, 241 Douthit Ferry Road. Guest speaker is Alan Essig, Executive Director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.> Click
-Feb. 26: Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce annual health expo> Click
No comments:
Post a Comment