This Year's Project: New Port Chair in Infusion Treatment Area
About Our Organization
The June E. Nylen Cancer Center is a comprehensive not-for-profit outpatient cancer facility located in Sioux City since 1995 with medical oncology, radiation oncology, and hematology services. Last fiscal year more than 6,000 patients from the 15-county tri-state area of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota were cared for. Each day about 150 patients come to the center for hope and healing. The Nylen Cancer Center offers state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging; cutting-edge radiation treatment; advanced chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other therapies; an on-site lab; genetic testing and access to clinical trials; as well as robust patient navigation and support services. The organization’s commitment to quality and excellence is demonstrated through several accreditations and certifications. Altogether providers and a staff of more than 100 professionals work together to bring the highest quality, compassionate cancer care to this region.
Current Project: New Port Chair in Infusion Treatment Area
The June E. Nylen Cancer Center has a dedicated “port room” back in our infusion treatment area that is used to access ports and draw labs for patients. A port is extremely handy as it is generally just one stick and essentially a patient can have multiple labs drawn from it along with their treatment administered through it.
It is estimated that about 65-75% of our chemotherapy and infusion patients have ports at one time or another. Once a patient has completed their treatment and they choose to leave the port in, it is important to do routine maintenance on the port to keep it functional. Similar to getting an oil change in a car. Every three months a patient needs to come in and have their port flushed and checked. The particular chair we use in our dedicated port room has gotten a lot of wear and tear and a new port chair is needed to replace the current one.
The cost of a new port chair is $3,750. It needs to be comfortable for patients but also easily adjust to a nurse’s height for easier mechanics of accessing a patient’s port. It also needs to recline back as sometimes it is hard to get blood return from the port and a reclined position helps obtain the necessary specimen. The new port chair is durable and meets all the regulations for medical cleaning.
Thank you for supporting cancer care in Siouxland through this year’s Siouxland Big Give.