Herbert J. Thomas Memorial Hospital Association

Community Project Funding/congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - - Address: 4605 Maccorkle Avenue, S.W. Charleston, West Virginia 25309-1311 - Project Director: Brian Lilly - Phone Numbers: T-304-766-4529, F-304-414–4938 - E-mail: Brian.lilly@thomashealth.org - Website: Www.thomashealth.org - Funds Requested: $495,000 This Project Will Enable the Thomas Health System, Inc. to Renovate and Modernize the Thomas Health Cancer Infusion Center in South Charleston, West Virginia. the Funding Will Be Utilized to Remodel the Facility to Ensure That Patients Receive Care and Recover From Their Cancer Treatments in an Environment Where They Are Carefully Monitored by Providers Working Closely With Them on Each Floor of the Facility. the Thomas Health Cancer Infusion Center Will Be a Full Service, Regional Facility Able to Provide Patients With Advanced Cancer Treatment. Its Highly Qualified Clinicians Will Be Able to Observe the Effects of Treatments Provided for Virtually Every Type of Cancer, Including Breast, Lung, Colorectal, Prostate, Head and Neck, Brain, Skin, Gynecologic, and Hematological Disorders. the Upgraded Infusion Center Will Continue to Provide an Essential Service. Infusion Therapy Is Utilized When Medication or Fluids Must Be Administered to Cancer Patients Through a Needle or Catheter (intravenously). in Some Cases, It Is a Way to Deliver Medication to Cancer Patients Who Cannot Take Certain Oral Drugs. Often It Allows Cancer Treatments to Be Dispensed at a Controlled Pace. Certain Types of Chemotherapy, for Example, Need to Be Dripped Slowly Into the Bloodstream. This Project’s Goals Are to Enable More Cancer Patients Who Receive Infusion Therapy in the Cancer Infusion Center to Receive Treatment and Recover in an Area Where New Accommodations and Highly Qualified Providers Will Ensure That Patients Receive Competent Care in a Professional and Supportive Setting. This Project Affects a Larg E Swath of Patients Served by Thomas Health. the Health System’s Service Area Includes Not Just Patients From Kanawha County Where This Newly Renovated Cancer Infusion Center Will Be Located, But Residents of Central and Southern West Virginia. the Health System Serves Roughly 241,000 Residents From at Least Seven Counties in the Region. Many Are Older, Rural Residents Who Travel From Remote Areas to Receive Infusion Therapy. According to the U.s. Census Bureau, Depending on Where They Reside, a Considerable Number of the Residents Served by Thomas Health Live in Poverty. the Percentages of Those Who Do So Are Provided With Respect to Each County Here: Kanawha (16.3%), Putnam (8.9%), Lincoln (19.7%), Boone (18.9%), Clay (22,.5%), Roane (19.4%) and Jackson (16.7%). Thomas Health Has Historically Served Patients Regardless of Their Ability to Pay and Seeks to Provide Care to Meet the Specific Needs of the Communities It Serves. the Need to Serve These Often Elderly and Low-income Residents in a Newly Renovated Cancer Infusion Center Is No Different. Early Detection and Ongoing Treatment of Cancer Is Recognized by Thomas Health and All Medical Authorities as Being an Extremely High Priority in West Virginia. According to Data Collected in 2020 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (arc), West Virginia’s Cancer Mortality Rate Was 17% Higher Than the Rest of the Nation. These Figures Underscore How Critical It Is for West Virginia to Have a Broad-based Health System Equipped With the Type of Upgraded Facilities That Will Be Supported by This Funding. It Can Provide Ongoing Treatment for Cancer Patients and Thereby Diminish Years of Potential Lives Lost in West Virginia - a Number the Arc Found Was 47% Higher Than the Rest of the Nation Only Two Years Ago. the Enhanced Capabilities Provided by This Project Will Enable Thomas Health’s Cancer Infusion Center to Bring Advanced, Effective Medical Care to More Pat