For people facing a cancer diagnosis, days are filled with stress and uncertainty. For those undergoing cancer treatment, the daily strain can be overwhelming.
Heather and Douglas Greene wanted to ensure that people walking those paths — and the loved ones supporting them — had at least one small place of refuge during the turmoil. When they walked through the doors of the new Douglas and Heather Greene Legacy Breast Health Center, they knew they had accomplished that goal.
“We’re thrilled with how it turned out,” Douglas Greene said. “It’s so warm and everything was done with such a personal touch.”
The Greenes, who split their time between Vancouver and California, donated $500,000 toward a nearly $2 million multiyear campaign to create a comprehensive cancer center at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. On Wednesday evening, the Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation hosted a private event to honor the Greenes’ donation and the opening of the new breast center.
The center unites existing breast health services and expands the hospital’s offerings. In the past, breast cancer patients and other women coming the medical office for mammograms, ultrasounds or biopsies would check in at the imaging department and be escorted through back hallways to the appropriate examination rooms. Now, however, the breast center has its own entrance, reception and waiting area.
When women walk through the doors of the breast health center, they enter an elegant waiting room. The floors are covered with gray patterned carpet; the ceiling, lined with slats of wood. The statement wall of the room features textured white tiles and the nameplate for the new center. Cream-colored leather chairs offer comfort as patients wait.
The Greenes, who both lost spouses to cancer, hope the space will provide peace for patients and families.
“To be able to give a hand up to others going through a difficult time means a lot to us,” Heather Greene said.
The new space not only offers patients a welcoming environment, it also helps the hospital to showcase the services it provides, said Julie Bogh, imaging services manager. Rather than have services spread out throughout the campus, they’re now in one place, she said.
The center also adds to the services available at the Salmon Creek hospital. The project added a second 3-D mammography machine and a new biopsy unit that gives staff more flexibility in how they position patients undergoing procedures. In addition, the radiologists received new equipment and reading space, Bogh said.
One of the biggest additions to the center is a breast surgeon. Dr. Cory Donovan joined Legacy Health last year and is splitting her time between the Salmon Creek and Good Samaritan campuses.
The next piece of the comprehensive cancer care campaign is to add integrated services in the suite next to the breast center, said Marta Halvorsen, chair of the hospital foundation board. During the remodel of the center, the hospital created office space for genetic, financial and nutrition counseling services. And the foundation hopes to also see the addition of acupuncture, yoga and art therapy down the road, Halvorsen said.
For Bryce Helgerson, president of Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, the goal is to bring comprehensive cancer services under one roof. The new Breast Health Center is the latest piece toward achieving that goal.
“Our team had a vision, and has a vision, to bring world-class care to Clark County,” he said. “We believe that screening is absolutely important, and that’s what this center is all about.”
