Alice and Carl Kirkland have donated $5 million to the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation and in honor of their gift, all Jackson-Madison County General Hospital cancer services have been organized and re-named Alice and Carl Kirkland Cancer Center. The Kirklands' gift will allow West Tennessee Healthcare to consolidate and expand its cancer services, which will be called the Alice and Carl Kirkland Cancer Center in recognition of the donation.

"Alice and Carl's generosity will help West Tennessee Healthcare serve the people of this community for generations to come," said Bobby Arnold, West Tennessee Healthcare president and CEO. "We are extremely grateful for this extraordinary kindness, which lays the groundwork to increase services and provide care that is close to home for our patients."

"Alice and I are happy to be able to help West Tennessee Healthcare expand its cancer services," said Carl Kirkland. "I am from West Tennessee and am a cancer survivor myself.  We believe in the mission of bringing the highest quality cancer care close to home for West Tennesseans."

"We have been dreaming about expanding our cancer services," commented Frank McMeen, president of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation.  "Alice and Carl Kirkland are providing the stimulus to begin the construction of a new, comprehensive treatment center and establishing an endowment to help secure the future of the Center."

Hospital officials are working with physicians and consultants to develop a strategic plan outlining consolidation initiatives and expanded services in light of the Kirkland donation.  Each year, more than 1,100 West Tennesseans are treated for cancer at West Tennessee Healthcare.

"The Alice and Carl Kirkland Cancer Center will be designed with the patient in mind, providing a supportive, easy-to-access environment in a private, secluded setting," said James Ross, chief operating officer for Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. "The design of the multi-story facility will create one of the largest cancer centers in the region, while still providing patients with a sense of comfort."

"The West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation is proud to have had Carl and Alice on its board," added Vicki Burch, chair of the Foundation board. "Of all the things that they could have done with their charitable giving, we are honored that they chose to offer a place of hope through the Foundation that will benefit West Tennesseans."

At Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, the West Tennessee Cancer Center was designated in 1990 as one of the five Centers of Excellence and it has been participating in research studies since 1993.      Currently, the West Tennessee Cancer Center offers treatment and diagnostic services that include medical, surgical, and radiation oncology, tumor registry, and Hospice.  In addition, it provides cancer conferences for physicians and other healthcare professionals, social services, outreach clinics, public education, and various support groups, such as Camp Blue Bird.  For over 10 years, it has been the title sponsor for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in several West Tennessee communities. 

The West Tennessee Cancer Center has been selected by the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Cancer Trials Support Unit as a participant in its CTSU Independent Clinical Research Site (CICRS) Program.  Of the 17 sites evaluated through a lengthy and highly selective process, only five were selected.  The West Tennessee Cancer Center was the only site selected in Tennessee. Through this affiliation with the NCI, West Tennessee Cancer Center will be able to offer patients a variety of trials from the large menu of NCI-funded trials.  West Tennessee Cancer Center is also a member of the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center Affiliate Network, Nashville, Tennessee. 

Carl Kirkland is co-founder and chairman emeritus of Kirkland's, a leading specialty retailer of home décor in the United States, operating approximately 291 stores in 32 states. He has served on several boards, including Hibbett Sports, Bank of Jackson, and the University School of Jackson, where he served as past chairman. Carl Kirkland is active in many civic activities and charities, including Jackson Humane Society and West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation.  He attended the University of Mississippi and received a BBA degree from the University of Memphis.  Alice Kirkland is an alumna of the University of Tennessee at Martin.  She was a Medical Records Librarian at Baptist Hospital and later was a Medical Records Administrator for the Tennessee Department of Health.  She has been involved in numerous charitable activities, including the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, Jackson Humane Society, and Jackson Service League, and has been a supporter of University School of Jackson.    

Cancer has touched the lives of both Alice and Carl.  Alice lost her mother and father and Carl lost his father and brother to cancer. Carl is a cancer survivor.

Oncology/Hematology Clinic Announced

West Tennessee Cancer Center announced the development of the Oncology/Hematology Clinic. This clinic will be for current and newly diagnosed oncology and hematology patients. Beginning January, 2010 Clyde Smith, MD will lead the clinic and see patients. The Clinic will be located inside the Medical Specialty Clinic at 27 Medical Center Drive in Jackson.

Dr. Smith joined the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Medical Staff in 1979 and was the community's first oncologist. Dr. Smith is well-known in the medical community through his work with the Medical Specialty Clinic. Dr. Smith has worked for many years with Hospice of West Tennessee and is the current Chief of Staff at General Hospital.

The phone number for the Oncology/Hematology Clinic is 731-541-9561. The Clinic is expected to open January, 2010. For more information, contact the Cancer Center at 731-541-5087. 

October 2009

Tips to Protect Yourself from Breast Cancer

If you see pink everywhere you turn this month, here's why: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when survivors, advocates, and health organizations strive to raise awareness of the progress we're making together in fighting this disease--and the things women can do to protect themselves.

Since 1990, more and more women have been surviving breast cancer, largely because of early detection through mammography and improvements in treatment.

However, breast cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.

Mammograms can find breast cancers earlier, when they are easier to treat and the chances of survival are higher. That's why the American Cancer Society recommends yearly mammograms and breast exams for women 40 and older. If you're putting off getting your mammogram because you're scared or nervous, watch some real women talk about their experience. You'll see this life-saving test is nothing to be afraid of.

And don't forget that in addition to getting a yearly mammogram, there are steps women can take to reduce their risk of breast cancer:

• Eat a healthy diet to help control weight, since being overweight or obese may raise breast cancer risk.
• Get regular physical activity. The American Cancer Society recommends 30 minutes a day, 5 or more days a week. Forty-five to 60 minutes a day is even better for reducing breast cancer risk.
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink to no more than 1 drink per day. Alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

And perhaps most important, be sure to talk to your doctor if you notice any changes in your breasts or have any other concerns. That conversation could save your life. Just ask Sue Sgambato, an American Cancer Society volunteer who fought an aggressive form of the disease after losing her mother and a grandmother to breast cancer. Be sure to read her story, also in this issue

Source: http://www.acsworkplacesolutions.com/wpsPDFs/HealthyLiving/HL_Oct09.pdf

Prostate Cancer: Should You Get Tested?

Researchers still don't know for sure whether prostate cancer screening saves lives. A recent U.S. study showed no real difference in prostate cancer deaths between men who got tested for it and men who didn't A recent European study found a small benefit but it also found overteatment was a big problem.

According to the American Cancer Society, a lot of men are getting treated for prostate cancer when they don't need to be. Some prostate cancers grow very quickly but many prostate cancers grow so slowly that they would never cause a man any problems so treatment isn't really necessary.

Treatments for prostate cancer can have many unpleasant side effects like incontinence and impotence that really affect the quality of a man's life.

The American Cancer Society does not recommend routine screenings at this time. Instead, men need to talk to a doctor about the pros and cons of screening and then decide whether they want to be tested. Men at average risk should have this talk started at age 50. Men at higher risk-African American and men who have a first-degree relative (father, brother, or son) who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer at ages younger than 65, should start earlier, at age 45.

(source: American Cancer Society, Healthy Living, September, 2009, page 1)

Tanning Beds Pose Serious Risk, Agency Says

Tanning beds pose a greater cancer risk than previously believed, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization (WHO) agency that developed the most widely used system for classifying carcinogens. The group has elevated tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category - "carcinogenic to humans" (Group 1). Tanning beds had previously been classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans."

IARC's decision was based on a comprehensive review of current research, which shows tanning bed use raises the risk of melanoma of the skin by 75% when use starts before the age of 30. The agency also found a link between tanning bed use and risk of melanoma of the eye. Melanoma accounts for less than 5% of skin cancer cases but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths.

The findings are published in The Lancet Oncology.

Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Much of this exposure comes from the sun, but it also comes from manmade sources, such as tanning beds. Because of the popularity of tanning among young people, both the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection recommend that the use of indoor tanning should be restricted in anyone under the age of 18.

The American Cancer Society recommends people avoid tanning beds altogether

 (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Tanning_Beds_Pose_Definite_Cancer_Risk_Agency_Says.asp)

On June 22, the nationwide cancer community celebrated as President Obama signed legislation into law that will finally put an end to Big Tobacco's unfettered marketing to our nation's children. The "Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act" for the first time grants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco products.

"Forty-five years after tobacco smoke was first found to be hazardous to health, tobacco products will finally be regulated - products which kill more than 400,000 people in America each year," said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). "This lifesaving new law has the potential to break the deadly cycle of addiction and put an end to Big Tobacco's targeting of our nation's children."

Tobacco is virtually the only consumable product not regulated in the U.S. The tobacco industry spends nearly $40 million every day to aggressively market its products to addict new, young smokers, keep current users from quitting and mislead the public about the harms of their products. The law will, among other things:

• ban outdoor advertising near playgrounds and schools.
• ban fruit- or candy-flavored cigarettes that appeal to children.
• mandate larger and more effective warning labels on tobacco products, which will cover 50% of the product packaging and graphic warning labels on packs of cigarettes.
• require tobacco companies, for the first time, to disclose all ingredients and additives on their products including poisons and carcinogens

Today's signing culminates an effort of more than a decade to regulate a rogue industry whose business is addiction," said Daniel E. Smith, president of ACS CAN. "Every day, 3,500 children pick up their first cigarette and 1,000 children become addicted smokers. This law will help to reduce youth smoking and help save lives."

The FDA is the only federal agency with the scientific expertise necessary to effectively regulate tobacco products, the only legally consumed product which kills when used as intended, and prohibit misleading health claims by the tobacco companies. Moreover, this law provides the FDA with the additional resources needed to ensure effective oversight of the industry.

ACS CAN, the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, joined more than 1,000 organizations, including public health, medical, children's, and faith-based groups to attract broad, bipartisan support for the bill in Congress. Together, the Society and ACS CAN have led the fight for strong tobacco control policies at the federal, state, and local levels for decades.

As the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate organization of the American Cancer Society, ACS CAN is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information or to join, visit www.acscan.org.

July, 2009

History is Made with New Smoking Legislation