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For more information, call:
Bonnie McAskill, Director Public Relations & Marketing
Jackson County Memorial Hospital
481-2375   or 318-1297

Altus –William G. Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer at Jackson County Memorial Hospital, and Betty Onan, Director of Auxiliary Volunteers, announce that the JCMH Auxiliary will contribute $500,000 to the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers. The donation will be made to the JCMH Foundation with the funds designated for the Altus facility of the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers.

 

According to Wilson, "This is the first major contribution received for the cancer center. The Auxiliary’s financial support is a great start to the fund raising campaign for the cancer center project."  "Our thanks to the on-going work and dedication each volunteer provides to the hospital."

The cancer center construction is underway with the relocation of the utility lines on Liveoak Street. The construction of the building should begin in January.

The Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers is a joint project of Jackson County Memorial Hospital in Altus, Duncan Regional Hospital in Duncan, and Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton. A cancer center will be located in each city with shared operations and staffing to benefit residents in Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas. Duncan and Altus are building new facilities. Betty Onan is the director of the Auxiliary Volunteers at JCMH, "With such a large project on the campus of the hospital, the Auxiliary wanted to play a significant role." 

Along with Onan, there are about 50 volunteers who provide services to JCMH at the Information Desk, Snack Bar, Gift Shop, and the surgical and ICU waiting area. "Our main purpose is to be a support mechanism to the hospital, explained Onan."  Officers of the JCMH Auxiliary are Mary Drake, President; Peggy White, Vice President; and Marjorie Porter, Secretary.
"A project of this scale," said Wilson, "brings opportunities for the community at large."  "It is our hope there will be others who will support the Altus facility of the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers."  "When completed and in operation, the effects of the cancer centers will be great to the community," stated Wilson.

The Duncan and Altus facilities of the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers are expected to be completed by the end of 2007. The Lawton facility is currently in operation and will be relocated to its new facilities in 2007 as well.

Wilson is the Chairman of the Board of the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers. He is joined by Dr. M. George Zakhary and Dale Shelton from JCMH along with three members each from Comanche County Memorial Hospital and Duncan Regional Hospital.  Each hospital’s CEO, a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of the medical staff comprise the nine-member board.

Contributions to the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers on the JCMH campus are made to the JCMH Foundation and designated for the Altus facility.