|
| |
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
1968: A cobalt-60 unit was installed in the basement of Sheridan County
Memorial Hospital in the John Hallworth Memorial Clinic. Twenty to Thirty years ago, radiation therapy
was delivered utilizing this Cobalt machine. The properties of this unit were
such that many patients undergoing radiation therapy with cobalt sustained skin
burning and breakdown because the skin received the full dose delivered, even if
the tumor was centrally located within the body. The properties of the x-ray
beam from a cobalt unit were less than desirable in many respects.
1991: A Siemens Mevatron -12 was installed at
the Pond Building. This Linear Accelerator (Linac) was a major advance in the
delivery of radiation therapy. This machine had the ability to spare the skin,
and other critical tissues, while still treating the tumor with full doses. It
was limited by its ability to produce only one photon and 3 electron energies.
1996: Dr. Stamato comes to Sheridan and accepts the position of Clinical
Director at the Cancer Center. His entire staff consists of only one Radiation
Therapy Technologist.
| |
 |
|
2000: Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s “Home for Life” campaign raises 2.1 million dollars for major renovation,
construction, and acquisition of all new equipment. The entire Cancer Center is
renovated and remodeled, and a new vault is constructed to house Varian’s 2100 C
Linear Accelerator. A Toshiba Spiral
CT Scanner
is purchased, and the CMS FOCUS Treatment Planning System is acquired. The
Linear Accelerator is equipped with 80 leaf
MLC, two high energy photons, and six electron
energies.
2004: Nearly one-half million dollars is raised for the specific
acquisition of
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). The Lorene F. Welch Foundation generous gift
led to changing the name of the Cancer Center to the Welch Cancer Center.
Upgrades to the
Linear Accelerator include upgrading to 120
leaf
MLC, Varian’s Record and Verify System, and the acquisition of the
CMS XiO Treatment Planning System allowing the Welch Cancer Center to implement
IMRT. The Welch Cancer Center also expands its services by providing additional
patient support through Nutritional Counseling, Social Services, Spiritual
Guidance, Massage Therapy, and Physical Therapy. The staff now consists of
fifteen skilled, dedicated team members providing comprehensive state of the art
Cancer Therapy.
|
