Our thanks to everyone who came out to the Open House for the Curtis W. Long, MD and Gay L. Nissen, RN Infusion Center on Sunday. We were so proud to share this moment with our community, and your positive feedback was so encouraging.
Tours of the new space were led by outpatient clinic nurses Karla Short, RN, Carly Murdock, RN, BSN and Ann Donnohue, RN/Outpatient Specialty Clinic Manager, pointing out features like private and semi-private rooms, patient recliners in every room with heat and massage controls, comfortable visitor seating, and an air filtration system that sanitizes 99.9% of airborne bacteria in the infusion area with a push of a button.
BCMH recognized donors to the infusion center at the Open House, and Dr. Curtis W. Long was the guest of honor, along with his assistant nurse, Gay Nissen, RN. The Long-Nissen Infusion Center was named for Dr. Curtis Long in thanks for his generous donation, who has provided many years of service to BCMH. Dr. Long has stated that it has been his privilege as a family physician to have delivered 3,000 babies in Bates County, and to perform the first laparoscopic procedure in the state of Missouri right here at BCMH. Gay Nissen has worked with Dr. Long as his nurse for over 40 years.
Others who contributed to the Long-Nissen Infusion Center included: - Bates County Community Health Foundation donated $10,000 to purchase patient recliners, and more than $3,000 from their annual golf tournament.
- BCMH Auxiliary volunteers covered the cost of a blanket warmer and all guest furniture, a gift totaling $21,871.
- Montrose School district gifted $1,065, proceeds from their Pink Night fundraiser in February, which enabled the purchase of rolling patient trays for all rooms.
-The BCMH Plant Operations department donated funds to purchase a beverage refrigerator for patients.
-Reegan Koshko, age 17, donated photography of local rural landscapes in Bates County in memory of her mother, Cheyanna Hellwig, who passed away at the age of 32 from breast cancer. Reegan is a senior at Appleton City High School. She attended the event with her grandmother, Carolyn Hellwig. -William and Linda Gollhofer gave a cash donation for the Long-Nissen Infusion Center.
The Long-Nissen Infusion Center is staffed by a team of chemotherapy certified nurses, and patients of Heather Dains, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, will be seen in the new space. Oncologist Jaswinder Singh, MD will continue to see patients on the first floor of the hospital in Outpatient Specialty Clinics.
Infusion services include chemotherapy and immunotherapy, as well as non-cancer therapies, including outpatient IV antibiotic therapy, allergy injections, injections and infusions for various disease processes and preventative medication management.
BCMH has provided infusion services, including chemotherapy, since the 1990s. In 2004, the hospital offered 517 infusions. In 2024, Ann Donnohue predicts they will perform close to 3500, thanks to the expansion of patient care through the Long-Nissen Infusion Center.
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