Spouses for the Georgia Senate and House of Representatives concluded their community trips with a tour of the Cancer Treatment Centers of American in Newnan recently. This world-class cancer treatment center facility opened just two years ago in August 2012.
Richard Stephenson, a businessman, whose mother died from a complex form of cancer, became frustrated with a health-care system that focused on technical and clinical aspects of care. Mr. Stephenson believed cancer patients would benefit by treating the whole person, not just the cancer.
This vision led him to open the first Cancer Treatment Center of America hospital in 1988 in Illinois. At CTCA the focus is on treating advanced-stage and complex diseases.
I was one of 15 spouses to tour this beautiful new hospital south of Atlanta. Disney helped design spaces of tranquility with waterways including a swan pond. Cancer brings stress; picturesque areas of water can be calming. Not only is the physical structure designed to alleviate stress associated with a cancer diagnosis, but the model of care as well. Not just for the patient, but for the patient’s family also.
The model of care at CTCA is holistic with experts delivering a wide range of services to each patient to heal the whole person. Professionals work as a team under one roof to accommodate the needs of patients i.e. surgeons, radiologist, oncologists, pastoral care, nurses, dietitians, and pain management all being coordinated and supplied in one place. This level of efficiency brings another aspect of calm and reassurance to its patients.
Hospital administrators, board members, and patients joined us to share their various perspectives on the operation of CTCA. It was especially heartwarming to hear first-hand accounts of cancer patients in remission from metastatic cancers who might not otherwise be alive had it not been for the care and expertise afforded them through this facility.
If you or a loved one are seeking advice for a cancer related illness, you may want to consider Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a privately owned hospital, in Newnan as a resource and option for hope and healing.
Linda Deffenbaugh is the spouse of Representative John Deffenbaugh Georgia House of Representatives, District 1.