VALDOSTA — A celebration of the $7 million renovation of the Pearlman Cancer Center at South Georgia Medical Center Friday was a homecoming of sorts for a number of cancer survivors who were on hand to see the new facilities.

Sporting survivor stickers, the former patients toured the new center along with members of the public and SGMC employees following the release of dozens of pink (biodegradable) balloons in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Bridgett Young, Director of Cancer Services at the Center, said, “This is a celebration for the community. This is our way of thanking them for trusting us to care for them.”

Young said from the employees to the volunteers, the Cancer Center is blessed with individuals who want to be there to help the patients as they go through this very difficult time in their lives.

The Pearlman Cancer Center has grown tremendously over the last 25 years as the need in the community has grown.

Angela Royal with the center said Dr. John Devine joined the SGMC staff in 1985 as the first and only oncologist for a number of years.

“Through the very generous donation of the Pearlmans, the Cancer Center opened in 1995, and Dr. Jeffrey Hoy came on staff in 1996. Dr. Eric Anderson came in 2002, Dr. Samuel Ofori in 2009 and Dr. Jennifer Dallas in 2011,” Royal said.

The renovations allowed for the expansion of a number of critical areas in the center, including the laboratory, patient services,

The center’s employees presented information about the various areas of the center to visitors on tour. Employees are also featured in an educational video that new cancer patients watch when they are first diagnosed and learning about their disease.

“It’s great because the patients see our staff in the video so when they start their treatments, they see familiar faces,” said Laura Jones, nurse manager.

Jones led a tour through the center, showcasing the lovely outdoor courtyard and meditation area, the hyperbaric chamber, and the private consult rooms for patients and their families to confer with staff about their treatments.

In the examination rooms, Jones demonstrated the special exam tables which allow the patient to sit, rather than climb, and the “chair” converts into a table by the push of a few buttons.

Medical Technologist Cheryl Pounds was delighted to show off the new laboratory area, which has more than doubled in size. The new lab allows the staff to draw five patients at a time.

“We see 80 to 100 patients every day,” Pounds said. The cancer lab is separate from the other lab areas of the hospital and only serves cancer patients and patients with blood disorders.

In the new chemotherapy area, Jones showed off the comfortable chairs which are heated to give patients comfort during their lengthy treatments.

“A patient can be here from two to eight hours, depending on their regime. It’s different for each patient and for different types of cancer,” she said.

Patients can watch television or do arts and crafts projects with volunteers while they are receiving their treatments.

Maryann Heddon discussed the research that the Pearlman Cancer Center participates in for the National Cancer Institute.

She also said the hospital has developed a survivorship program for patients upon their release.

“Instead of just letting them go after months of treatment, now we work with them and with their primary care physician to create a system of care after their treatment.”

Heddon said SGMC is marketing its survivorship program to other hospitals to assist them in developing their own programs.

Carly Ellenberg discussed data management and the statistics that the Pearlman Center compiles for the National Cancer Institute as well as the rigorous accreditation process the center undergoes every three years.

“We are accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons,” said Ellenberg. “We are in the 99th and 100th percentile on all core measures.”

Jones led the tour through the CT Scan areas, which allows radiation therapists the ability to take 4-D scans which “slice” the body into 64 sections, allowing the RT the ability to pinpoint the cancer. A program is then built around the scans to ensure that the radiation does are constricted to the cancer and not surrounding tissue.

Young said she wanted to stress that the Pearlman Cancer Center at SGMC is fully capable of handling any cancer needs for patients in the region.

“This is the community’s cancer center. We are here for you,” she said.