First patient receives care at OhioHealth Marion Cancer Center
Scheduled to officially open Monday to provide cancer care to the community, the $20 million OhioHealth Marion Cancer Center served its first patient, Charles Nesbitt, 82, of Mount Gilead Wednesday when he arrived for an infusion appointment.
The Morrow County native said it was "kind of an honor" to be the first patient of the new facility, but he said he had already been receiving great care from the OhioHealth doctors and nurses at the former infusion clinic site in the Marion Medical Campus.
“The facility really looks nice, and I have been receiving the best care. The nurses at the infusion center – a bunch of great ladies, nurses, so I appreciate that,” Nesbitt said.
He was diagnosed with leukemia in March 2021 and will continue his battle with cancer at the new comprehensive cancer center, noting he was grateful there would be less walking needed to reach the infusion bays for him and his wife of 60 years, Judy, who accompanies him to his appointments.
"I don’t think it’s a possibility at my age to get this leukemia in remission. It gets temporary with the remission after I take my infusions and normally I have about 20 days until I start another cycle and my blood counts and stuff go down in that period of time. I guess it is what it is, just keep at it,” he said.
Over the course of the 1.5-year journey with cancer so far, Judy said Charles has been an easy patient for her. The two then shared their secret to success through stressful times and 60 years of marriage as taking it "one day at a time."
The new 24,000-square-foot comprehensive cancer center located on the main floor of the East Building of Marion General Hospital has centralized all cancer services, with registration, physician offices, radiation oncology, infusion services, medical oncology, hematology, surgery, rehabilitation and support services all in one site.
The center will also offer integrated care services like massage therapy, art therapy and dry needling for the holistic wellness of patients, explained Oncology Program Manager Monica Dyer.
Lead Cancer Care Physician Arvinder S. Bhinder, MD, explained this will take some of the stress of cancer patients and also allow for collaboration between doctors. Rather than waiting for a phone call from radiation oncology, Bhinder said he can now just walk down the hall to ask questions or compare notes.
“The patient can see both of us on the same day instead of coming for two appointments. Come one day, see us, see them, and have a plan, go home. So that’s what most of the comprehensive cancer center does: the patient can come there, radiation can see them over there, oncology and surgeon can see them over here,” he said.
With rooms designed to allow for privacy and natural light and services equipped with top-of-the line technology, the cancer center is working to meet both emotional and physical needs of patients.
Nesbitt explained his infusion appointments normally take about an hour. For patients that require appointments longer than four hours in the infusion bays, the hospital will begin providing a meal to patients and their spouses to make sure they are being nourished while they are receiving care.
Marion General Hospital President Curt Gingrich, MD, said the goal in the design of both the space and the services is meeting existing needs and thinking ahead as the cancer center hopes to be a regional hub for north central Ohio.
“We really tried to design this space for what we’re currently taking care of but also what we see, the needs, as we look at the aging population in this area," Gingrich said.
"We look at it for what we really see as our service area as Marion, Hardin, Morrow, Wyandot and Crawford Counties and finding the way to support the hospitals in those counties and what care can be kept there and what care without having to travel further [to Columbus or Cleveland] they can come to this location to receive it.”
Story by: Sophia Veneziano (740) 564 - 5243 ∣ sveneziano@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: First patient receives care at OhioHealth Marion Cancer Center
