What does twenty years bring about? For a newborn, twenty years might bring about college, military service, the start of a career or a family. A twenty year span for that college age person would put them in their 40s, mid-career, established and hopefully more mature! That same person twenty years latter might be thinking about retirement while enjoying their grandchildren. Give this person another twenty years and they might be enjoying great-grandchildren, giving of their talents volunteering (we have several volunteers at the TCCC who fit this bill – love ‘em!) and enjoying the time they have with family.

A lot can happen in the span of twenty years. Did the visionaries who dreamed of a world-class cancer center here in the Tri-Cities expect the Tri-Cities Cancer Center to have the capabilities it has today. Was the expectation then to host medical oncology and a laboratory on site along with radiation treatment? Did the community activists who raised funds and championed one community cancer treatment facility envision hosting the region’s largest cancer resources library? Was the expectation then to have a Patient Navigation team who are an integrated part of a patient’s healthcare team, providing patient advocacy, financial counseling, emotional and spiritual support as well as much needed resources? Did our hospital owners ever expect that their joint efforts would one day realize our partnerships would allow the Tri-Cities Cancer Center to screen over 650 people annually, saving countless lives, while offering theses services free to the community.

Did the leadership of the Cancer Center twenty years ago ever expect we would offer monthly community education programs, numerous support groups, classes like Tobacco Cessation, free hats, wigs, scarves, breast prosthetics, haircuts and wig styling, salon facials, WellFitTM classes, yoga, a nutritionist, Look Good…Feel Better classes and offer all of this free of charge thanks to the community’s generous support of our Foundation.

Twenty years can bring about a lot of change. As we look forward to the next twenty years we envision an integrated cancer care system for the region, providing patients with a seamless network of care between the Tri-Cities Cancer Center, our hospital owners and valued healthcare partners. We have already begun this journey by bringing physicians who specialize in specific areas cancer care under our roof, working in a collaborative fashion to provide patients with the very highest levels of care. In fact, our leadership has raised the bar by establishing standards of care that are above nationally recognized best practices.

This year we celebrate our 20th anniversary. We celebrate the people who helped to establish the Tri-Cities Cancer Center and those who have traveled this journey with us. We celebrate our growth. More than anything else, we celebrate our future as patients realize a higher level of quality care, improved outcomes and greater quality of life.