News

Contact: Amy Blaser

For Immediate Release

(COLUMBUS, Neb.) – Columbus Community Hospital is ready to start the next chapter of bringing the
gift of health to the community — and it’s inviting the public along for the ride.

All are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the hospital’s cancer center project on
Thursday, May 1, at 10 a.m. The groundbreaking will take place just west of the CCH emergency room.

The cancer center will be located on an estimated 26,500 square feet of land directly west of the
hospital’s emergency room. It will include infusion services and space for two medical practices —
Columbus Radiation Oncology and Hematology & Oncology Consultants.

“This new cancer center will help us provide our patients with seamless service,” said Keith Luedders,
the hospital’s vice president for ancillary services. “It will also allow us to offer the latest advanced
technology to people who are fighting cancer.”

Those technology improvements include:

• Varian TrueBeam – Varian TrueBeam therapy is a precise and powerful cancer treatment that
  combines the technology of radiotherapy and radiosurgery. This linear accelerator externally
  delivers a prescribed radiation dose from nearly any angle. It combines imaging and beam
  delivery with technology that rotates around patients to accurately and precisely target tumors
  with great speed. Real-time imaging tools allow clinicians to "see" the tumor they are treating,
  and respiratory gating enables clinicians to synchronize beam delivery with patients' breathing.
• PET/CT – A PET (positron emission tomography) scan uses a radioactive drug called a tracer to
  detect diseases before they show up on other imaging tests. A PET scan is an effective way to
  help discover a variety of health conditions, including cancer. CCH currently provides PET/CT;
  however, it is on a mobile truck that only comes to Columbus once per week.
• Infusion services – Our infusion services are currently on the second floor of the hospital in a
  cramped location that does not adequately allow for our patients’ privacy. The new building will
  have private rooms for our hospital infusion patients. Infusion services will also occupy a bigger
  space to meet our community’s needs.

“This center gives our patients access to cancer services typically only found in larger communities,” said
Mike Hansen, president and CEO of Columbus Community Hospital. “This is a rare example of a project
that benefits everyone — our patients, their families, the entire community and all physicians in this
area. We can’t wait to get started.”