Making Rounds
Cape Fear Valley Health Pavilion Lillington brings complete cancer care and more to Harnett County
Over 100 community members and local government officials gathered with Cape Fear Valley Health in October to cut the ribbon at the new Cape Fear Valley Health Pavilion Lillington. Front-row seats were reserved for some people who might be the most excited for the new facility: local cancer patients and their families.
Located at 225 Brightwater Drive, Lillington, the new building is next door to Central Harnett Hospital. The three-story, 66,000-square-foot building is anchored by the new Cape Fear Valley Cancer Center – Lillington. Also included in the facility are a variety of specialty clinics, including General Surgery; Ear, Nose and Throat; Heart and Vascular Specialists; Neurology; Orthopedics and Sports Medicine; Rheumatology; Pharmacy and Podiatry.
Cape Fear Valley Health CEO Michael Nagowski thanked all the former board members of Harnett Health, without whose perseverance and leadership the center would not exist.
“We’ve been so proud to be affiliated with all the good citizens here in Harnett County and to help to enhance the healthcare that’s being provided here,” Nagowski said. “This facility is a symbol of Cape Fear Valley and Harnett Health’s commitment to healthcare in this community. It’s the latest project in a long list of expansions and continued improvements.”
Medical Oncologist Dr. Madhuri Vithala also spoke briefly about the Cancer Center.
“This is a very special and much awaited moment for me and the staff here at the Cancer Center,” Dr. Vithala said. “Going through chemotherapy is a very hard and difficult time for patients and their families. For them to be able to receive care in a state-of-the-art facility that’s close to home is very comforting and immensely benefits not only our patients but also their family. Our community in Harnett County has a huge need for a facility like this. Many of our patients need chemotherapy and radiation at the same time. Right now, patients travel to Fayetteville for radiation treatment. These patients are very ill and have a lot of difficulty to travel. We are now very excited that our patients have access to radiation treatment right here at home.”
The new 17,000-square-foot Cancer Center offers the full spectrum of cancer care, including radiation oncology services. In the past, cancer services in Harnett County included diagnosis and chemotherapy, but radiation treatment hadn’t previously been available within Harnett County.
Adding radiation therapy to the treatment options in Harnett County greatly enhances the treatment experience for patients. At least half of all cancer patients receive radiation as part of a comprehensive cancer treatment program, often administered through multiple daily sessions for several weeks. Without a local option, patients in Harnett County had to travel many miles to receive radiation therapy.
Lillington resident Christine Ellis was one of the first patients to receive radiation treatments at the new Cancer Center, where she’s undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
“I thought I was going to have to go to Fayetteville, and I’m not good with driving that far,” she said. “I’m glad this one opened. The people here are very nice and it’s a really nice facility. Everyone there makes you feel like family. I’m so glad I don’t have to drive an hour to sit for a 15-minute treatment and then drive another hour back home. This is less than 10 minutes from my house.”
Frequent travel is both difficult and expensive for cancer patients, who are often already feeling ill and experiencing a great deal of stress about their health and finances. The new facility, with new technology and the collaboration of a dedicated Radiation Oncologist on staff, allows cancer patients to receive every necessary treatment in one place – and close to home.
The facility also expands the number of infusion chairs available for patients receiving chemotherapy. Thanks to the generosity of donors, several major sections of the building received naming gifts. The Cancer Center’s waiting area is named in honor of local physician Dr. P. K. Vyas, and the Healing Garden is supported by the Aldredge Family and Arc3 Gases, named in memory of Carla Parker Aldredge.
“I am grateful to be able to financially support a cause that is near and dear to my heart, rural health,” Dr. Vyas said. “The addition of a full-service cancer center to Harnett County will bring the same resources and treatments, once only available in large cities, closer to my patients and their families. It is my hope this donation will give everyone the opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer.”
For more information about Cape Fear Valley Health’s cancer services, visit capefearvalley.com/cancer.
