Bates County Memorial Hospital Begins Infusion Center Renovation for Cancer Care and More

Patient Joyce Hale receives an infusion treatment in one of the current Outpatient Specialty Clinic infusion rooms at Bates County Memorial Hospital under the watchful care of Heather Dains, NP, an oncology nurse practitioner seeing patients in collaboration with Dr. Jaswinder Singh.

Bates County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) has offered cancer care including chemotherapy and other infusions for years. This year, the hospital began renovating an existing space for an Infusion Center to serve more patients who need treatments for cancer and other conditions.

The project is currently underway and is projected to open in June 2024. The renovation includes a shift from offering infusions in Outpatient Clinic spaces to its own dedicated, larger area located under the hospital’s emergency department, utilizing what was once a training area for staff. Once fully furnished, the Infusion Center will accommodate up to 10 patients.

The Oncology and Hematology infusion clinic at BCMH currently serves over 160 patients ranging from Bates and surrounding communities, including Henry, St. Clair, Cass and Vernon counties with an average of about 300 infusions per month.

Ann Donnohue, RN touring the Infusion Center space on March 1 with Kate Long, RN.

“We have seen growth in this area, and this renovation will allow us to move, expand and update our current infusion rooms to a separate, dedicated area,” said Outpatient Specialty Clinic Manager Ann Donnohue, RN, who has been closely involved in project plans. “This will combine our current setting with private and semi-private infusion bays. It will also allow us to add more specialties to be housed in the current infusion space, while expanding the area that we have available for infusions to meet the growing needs of our community.”

When someone has cancer, they often don’t realize their treatment path will include multiple visits. A cancer treatment plan can be exhausting for both patients and their caregivers in many ways, and having local access to these services is a benefit.

“Patients and their caregivers are already under a lot of stress including emotional, physical and financial strain,” Ann said. “Infusion centers are purposely designed to provide a calm environment for people receiving chemotherapy and other types of infusions.”

Bates County Memorial Hospital has received donations to assist with the project. In 2023, Bates County Community Health Foundation donated $10,000 for the purchase of two patient infusion chairs, and Montrose School District recently donated $1,065 from the Blue Jays’ 2024 Pink Night fundraiser to the Infusion Center renovation project.

BCMH Outpatient Specialty Clinic nurses are Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Certified through the Oncology Nursing Society.

Learn More

Oncology and Hematology clinics are available at Bates County Memorial Hospital several times a week with Jaswinder Singh, MD and his team of oncology providers. For more information, call 660-200-7006.