New facility offers hope, care, concern
Over 2,000 turn out for Hansen Center Open House
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

Everything has been thought of to make cancer patients and their families as comfortable as possible at a trying time when they visit The J. Michael Hansen, M.D., Oncology Center and Margaret Mary Community Hospital Outpatient Services located at 24 Six Pine Ranch Road, Batesville.

Those visiting the center last Friday night at the VIP reception, or at the public open house on Sunday, were able to feel the atmosphere and see the articulate detail that was put into the design of the facility.

From the warm wood and soft stone that surrounds the walls to inspirational sayings that line the wall leading to treatment rooms, the center whispers peace to those who need its healing touch. Water falls and soft artwork offers tranquil serenity with a calming effect.

Radiation Therapist Brenda Winters noted that the equipment is top-of-the-line and will administer treatments with "pinpoint accuracy", making it much nicer for people.

The patients, their families, along with hospital staff will reap the benefits of the design. Describing the machine that administers radiation treatment as the best, Winters said that Varian is the top manufacturer, "and we have it right here in Batesville," she told those touring the facility on Friday evening.

She described the machine as "computer driven". She also noted that everything throughout the treatment room is designed to have a calming effect. "The calmer a patient is during treatment, the better," she noted.

Inside the facility is a boutique where there are a number of things a cancer patient might need, including wigs and prostheses. Wigs We Care, a company out of Greenwood, will be providing a variety of needed items, according to Geralyn Litziner, who gave tours on Friday at the VIP reception. The room is bright and cheery with a variety of things to choose from.

The rooms where chemotherapy is provided offers privacy with glass sliding doors in between patients, or the opportunity to open the doors and visit.

From spacious rooms for conferences with doctors to warm, private rooms for patients to change into gowns, the oncology portion of the facility caters to those needing the service.

Kathy Cooley, registered dietitian, will also be on hand to provide nutrition counseling and more. She explained that alternative treatments are offered in the form of massage therapy, acupuncture, and Reike sessions.

Eighty percent of lab work will be done on-site.

A choir comprised of MMCH employees, doctors and volunteers, provided beautiful harmony for those attending the festivities this past weekend. Appropriate selections such as "Lean On Me", "There is Healing in this House" and "You are the Wind Beneath My Wings" were performed.

Jim Amos, president of MMCH, briefly spoke saying the facility was born "out of need" and he was pleased to address those gathered for the finished product. He thanked several people who were instrumental in making the idea a reality saying there were dozens of people who were involved. "I can't tell you how excited we are to bring these services to the community."

Friday night, Dr. Hansen's widow, Janet addressed the crowd with children, Lisa, Sarah, and John Michael II, at her side. She told how her husband gained the respect of his patients through communication and would spend endless hours each evening calling them and going over test results. There was no age barrier with the love patients had for Dr. Hansen. The older people liked him and the younger patients brought him
homemade artwork, which Janet said he kept.

Dr. Hansen was one-of-a-kind sending flowers to patients, attending weddings, funerals and graduations. An example of his involvement was a time he drove a lady home from a nursing home to her trialer.

Mrs. Hansen read excerpts from a story that was published in The Reader's Digest in 1984 about her husband. It was about a young girl from the area who had lost her arm in an accident. Dr. Hansen was credited for saving not only the girl's life, but her arm was reattached and she could move all her fingers. The girl in the story, Fawn Williamson was in the audience, matter of fact, she was in the choir and is employed in the business office at MMCH.

Dr. Hansen was pro-life and proud of it. He wrote letters to anyone who interested him including political figures or an author who caught his attention.

After the doctor, who had treated so many patients in his lifetime, became a cancer patient himself, Mrs. Hansen told of the long drives to cities for his treatment. She said the new facility is such a blessing for the area, and as the widow of someone who had gone through the ordeal of having treatments, an invaluable asset to the community.