Archbold Medical Center| Archives Magazine | Summer 2018

ARCHBOLD.ORG • SUMMER 2018 13 acquired an ultrasound unit designed especially for prostate examinations, allowing patients from the center access to the latest technology to aid in the detec- tion and treatment of prostate cancer. In 1990, the Hospital Auxiliary donated a multi-passenger van, enabling the center to begin patient transportation services for patients who needed assis- tance getting to and from the center for treatment. Improving with age and expanding to meet the region’s needs The LHSOC marked its third anniversary in August 1991 with more than 400 area citizens in attendance of the celebration. Not only did the gathering commemo- rate touching more than 1,500 lives since the center’s opening, but the oncology center also received the highest and ear- liest eligible approval from the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center. In the spring of 1992, the LHSOC became one of the first sites south of Atlanta to offer a revolutionary dialysis-type therapy treatment to cancer patients. After five years of service, the center planned for its first major expansion of services to accommodate the growth of the program. The expansion included a larger treatment room, additional examination rooms and a new blood drawing area. The LHSOC also began participating in national cancer research studies after being accepted into the Atlanta Center for Cancer Research and Education, providing access to experi- mental treatment programs for patients who otherwise would have had to travel a great distance. That same year, the center introduced new radiation oncology treatment technology—the region’s first and only high-dose remote afterloader, which would allow high doses of radiation to be delivered directly to tumors in min- utes rather than hours, while protecting staff and patients from unnecessary radiation exposure. But cancer care didn’t just happen behind the doors of the oncology center in Thomasville. The services of the oncology center expanded throughout the region with the opening of clinics in neighboring communities. The center also began coordinating with Archbold Home Health Services and Archbold’s Hospice of Southwest Georgia to build a multidisciplinary team to provide home-delivered services for cancer patients, including nursing care, IV therapy, chemotherapy treatments, tube feedings, and dressings and wound care, as well as hospice services for terminally ill patients focusing on the quality of life. The 10-year mark In 1998, the LHSOC celebrated its 10th anniversary, a milestone that marked its service to almost 8,000 patients. Before heading into a new millennium, the LHSOC unveiled another major advancement—prostate seed implants, a new service to treat prostate cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer affecting men at the time. Renovations to the center began in the summer of 2000. The LHSOC added a new radiation vault and CT scan- ner, renovated the second floor, and implemented a new computer system with an expanded patient library. The renovations were completed in February 2002. Also that year, over 12 clinical trials —Continued on page 14 Archbold radiation oncologist Steve Johnson, MD, was one of two original oncologists on staff at the oncology center, along with Walter Morley, MD. In 2008, physicians and board members gathered to break ground on a state-of-the-art cancer center hailed as “A New Home for Hope.”