Hundreds of cancer patients, caregivers, community members and public officials, including Governor Nathan Deal, celebrated the grand opening of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Southeastern Regional Medical Center, the newest CTCA hospital just outside of Douglas County. CTCA at Southeastern officially opened Aug. 15, just over a year after CTCA broke ground on the 226,000-square-foot, fully digital hospital focusing on complex and advanced-stage cancer.
The state-of-the-art facility joins CTCA regional destination hospitals in Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa as a new option in comprehensive cancer care for patients and their families throughout the southeastern United States.
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, I wanted information, options and a treatment plan that considered all aspects of what was going on in my life,” said Audrey Allen, a breast cancer survivor from Savannah, who addressed the crowd during the event.
“Patients deserve more options. Having this level of care closer to home means so much to me and my family – and will to so many patients and caregivers in the Southeast.”
CTCA is the home of Patient Empowered Care, a unique care model combining state-of-the-art clinical treatments and technology with an array of supportive therapies such as nutrition therapy, naturopathic medicine, pain management, oncology rehabilitation, mind-medicine and spiritual support to help manage side effects and improve quality of life. CTCA also encourages and empowers patients to take an active role in treatment decision-making.
Attendees at the grand opening celebration – themed “Care that never quits in the Southeast – enjoyed tours of the hospital and interactive centers set up on the grounds. The Empowerment Center highlighted CTCA’s commitment to collaboration with the cancer community, as well as empowering patients with information and resources. Another station provided personal, educational opportunities with CTCA leadership and clinical team members, while a third featured culinary demonstrations by executive chefs from across the CTCA hospital network to emphasize the key role nutrition plays in integrated cancer care.
The hospital, located just south of Atlanta in Newnan, includes 25 private inpatient rooms, surgical suites, state-of-the-art radiation and infusion therapy departments, an outpatient clinic, rehabilitation and physical therapy, a dining room, chapel, onsite residential accommodations for outpatients and their families, and more.
“We are committed to serving cancer patients and their families with high-quality care and service excellence,” said Kane Dawson, president and CEO of CTCA at Southeastern. “At the same time, we are here to be a visible and valued partner in this community.”
Patients and caregivers from across the region joined state and local officials from across Georgia, business and medical groups, cancer support groups and CTCA representatives on the hospital grounds, designed to support healing and hope with a gazebo, swan and koi ponds and water fountains.
The Newnan and Coweta County communities and State of Georgia welcomed the arrival of CTCA in Georgia. Recognized as one of the “State of Georgia’s Top 10 Economic Development Projects” by former Governor Sonny Perdue, the new hospital is expected generate 500 new jobs and $500 million in economic activity during its first five years of operation. Governor Nathan Deal warmly welcomed CTCA to Georgia and expressed his gratitude for both the economic impact of the hospital and its commitment to high-quality cancer care for patients throughout the region.
“Tonight, Georgia’s paths of economic development and healthcare innovation lead right here to Newnan, to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southeastern Regional Medical Center,” said Deal in a video-taped statement shown at the grand opening ceremony. “Our state, like CTCA, will be a destination for top-quality medical care and cancer treatment. This hospital gives Georgians and those throughout the region a new choice in cancer care.”
For more information about CTCA at Southeastern Regional Medical Center, visit www.cancercenter.com/southeastern.
