LAWTON – About 25 years ago, executives from three major hospitals in southwest Oklahoma began talking about ways to improve patient care through cooperation among the individual entities.
Although all three of the chief executive officers – Randy Segler, Comanche County Memorial Hospital; Bill Wilson, Jackson County Memorial Hospital; and Scott Street, Duncan Regional Hospital – are retired from their respective hospitals, the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma stands as a testament to their vision.
The discussions that began in 1999 eventually narrowed to cancer treatment, specifically, and in 2005 the three executives announced plans for cancer treatment centers to be located in Lawton, Altus and Duncan. Groundbreaking ceremonies for all three facilities took place in July 2006. The mission: Bringing hope and healing to the communities.
Altus and Duncan both held grand openings of their new facilities in October 2008. Lawton dedicated their “Leah M. Fitch Cancer Center” one year later, in October 2009. In June 2017, the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma opened a new location in Chickasha. Office visits with a board-certified hematologist/oncologist are available in Chickasha and patients have the choice of going to Duncan or Lawton, with free transportation, to receive treatments.
Leah M. Fitch battled breast cancer for seven years and died in 2006, according to a digitized archived newspaper article at gateway.okhistory. org. Segler, who was CCMH president at the time, announced that the cancer center in Lawton would be named after her, thanks to a gift from her family.
Also in 2008, Dr. Nadim F. Nimeh, a Lawton oncologist, joined the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma. According to an archived newspaper article from that year, Nimeh had treated patients with cancer on the front lines of southwest Oklahoma for at least 20 years prior to him joining the network.
He said in the article that the satellite cancer centers would help ease the stress of patients and their families.
“Some patients just say, ‘It’s too much for me and my families.’ The biggest reason is distance. They might live in Hollis and have to drive 60 or 70 miles to Lawton for treatment. They might not be able to get a ride, or they might have a son or daughter drive them and they have to take off work the entire day. A lot of people don’t even want to ask their own family for a ride. Sometimes, it all becomes too stressful.”
Nimeh now lives out of state and serves as a liaison to the cancer centers. Lane Hooton, Chief Operating Officer at the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma, described Nimeh as the “face of oncology” for the region. In a website post, Hooton expressed his “deepest gratitude and appreciation for the remarkable impact” the oncologist made through his service.
“Your unwavering commitment, compassion, and expertise have not only transformed the lives of countless patients but have also elevated the standard of healthcare in southwest Oklahoma,” Hooton wrote.
The three treatment centers at Lawton, Duncan and Altus offer a variety of services. Patients from Chickasha can receive free transportation to either the Lawton or Duncan locations. Services include medical oncology, radiation therapy, hematology treatment, dermatology for suspected moles or lesions, infusion services, laboratory services and IMRT/VMAT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy/Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy), IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy) and SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy) using a linear accelerator. Infusion services include chemotherapy, targeted cancer therapy, iron treatments, immunotherapy and hydration.
In addition, the Lawton facility also offers CT (Computerized Tomography) planning and on-site physics and dosimetry, genetic testing via telemedicine through a partnership with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and The Hope & Healing Support Group.
Each of the Cancer Centers features state-ofthe- art technology and staff who are experienced in all adult cancers and blood disorders. Each patient receives an individualized treatment plan coordinated by a team of medical and radiation oncologists, certified nurses, technicians and therapists.
Also, each patient, upon referral, is screened for appropriate clinical trial availability. Patients who meet the criteria for an available clinical trial are counseled by their physician or one of the research nurses and offered the opportunity to participate.