Ashtabula County Medical Center | ACMC Pulse | Summer 2019

ACMC Pulse • Anniversary Issue • acmchealth.org 15 OVER ITS 115-YEAR HISTORY, Ashtabula General Hospital and Ashtabula County Medical Center have stepped up to the plate when needed for outstanding local healthcare. ACMC exemplified this in 2011 when Ashtabula County was faced with the loss of cancer care. In 1992, ACMC brought cancer care to Ashtabula County by contracting with Regional Cancer Center of Erie. When Regional Cancer Center announced it was closing its Ashtabula office in 2011, it meant local residents would have to drive to Cleveland or Erie for the treatments they needed. Within weeks of the announcement, ACMC leadership made the commitment to continue cancer care in Ashtabula County by taking on chemotherapy and by hiring longtime cancer specialist World-class cancer care close to home Community Mohammad Varghai, MD. The right thing to do “Patients who need chemotherapy should not have to travel an hour or more away for treatment. There was no question that it was the right thing for ACMC to take on,” said ACMC Healthcare System President and CEO Michael Habowski. “This decision was not only made for patients who were undergoing treatment at the time, but those in the future who would face a diagnosis of cancer.” Cancer care was temporarily provided in the hospital. It became apparent quickly that more space was needed, and renovations began in the building once occupied by Regional Cancer Center. The move to the ACMC Cancer and Infusion Center took place in early 2013. Ensuring access to care Another major step to improve cancer care in Ashtabula also took place in 2013, when Dr. Varghai joined the medical staff of Cleveland Clinic. This gave patients in Ashtabula County access to the same world- class cancer protocols as patients at Cleveland Clinic. The following year, ACMC began a two-year fundraising effort by the ACMC Foundation to raise $500,000 in community support for new infusion pumps and related equipment for treatment, a new on-site pharmacy, and an expanded patient treatment area. “Cancer is a growing disease, but with early detection we can provide better treatment options,” Dr. Varghai said about ACMC’s commitment to fighting cancer in Ashtabula County. “Thanks to community support through the years, we can accommodate more patients close to home. This means so much to patients and their families.”