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ST HELENA – The public is invited to an open house celebration for the new Martin-O’Neil Cancer Center and Johnson Pavilion building at St. Helena Hospital on Sunday, Nov. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We want to thank the community for contributing more than $28 million to build the new 25,000-square-foot Johnson Pavilion, which houses the cancer center on one floor and the hospital’s new surgery suites below it,” said Terry Newmyer, president/CEO, St. Helena Hospital.
Tours will be provided with refreshments, music and the opportunity to meet the physicians and staff who work in the cancer center and surgery department.
The Martin-O’Neil Cancer Center will provide outpatient cancer treatments to patients in the North Bay region, including three types of oncology, in one convenient location.
The center has a $2.8-million Varian linear accelerator – found in only a handful of the nation’s
top cancer centers – that provides radiation treatment using advanced technology that shapes radiation beams with pinpoint accuracy to target tumor cells and spare healthy surrounding tissue.
The St. Helena Hospital Foundation raised $28.2 million to fund the hospital’s new building, including the first outpatient cancer center in the upper Napa Valley.
Among the contributions was $3 million from St. Helena residents and vintners Stephen Martin and Dennis O’Neil whom the cancer center was named after.
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Napa Valley College has an excellent respiratory care program with a new class starting in fall 2010.
Free informational meetings will be held at 4 p.m. Nov. 16 and at 5 p.m. Dec. 1 in Room 803 on campus (the Respiratory Therapy Lab on the lower level of the Health Occupations Building).
The meetings are free and open to the public.
Attendance at an informational meeting is required to receive an application for next fall.
The application period for fall 2010 is Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, through Friday, March 12, 2010.
For more information, call Kate Benscoter, M.Ed., RRT, program director, 707-253-3145 or email
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The California Smokers' Helpline, 1-800-NO-BUTTS, has been helping callers since 1992, when it became the nation's first statewide "quitline." Today, all 50 states offer similar services as part of efforts to reduce tobacco's toll on the public health.
"The fact that half a million Californians have called for help shows how badly people want to quit," said Christopher Anderson, program director for the Helpline. "When you see a person who's still smoking, despite all the information about negative health effects, you might think they don't want to quit. But, more often than not, they just don't know how to go about it or don't feel confident in their ability to quit. We help them come up with a good plan and stick to it."
The Helpline is funded by tobacco taxes approved by California voters and is operated by the University of California, San Diego.
It provides free, confidential service to more than 30,000 callers annually, including self-help materials, referral to local programs, and one-on-one telephone counseling.
Callers who choose counseling receive up to two hours of tailored assistance spread out over five calls. Services are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese.
"Reaching the milestone of half a million callers is remarkable, but we have a long way to go," said Shu-Hong Zhu, PhD, principal investigator for the Helpline.
He added that there are still about four million smokers in California, and tobacco use remains the leading cause of premature death and disease. "Concerted efforts are needed to encourage more quitting among smokers and tobacco chewers."
According to the 2005 California Tobacco Survey, 62 percent of smokers were advised by a doctor to quit smoking, but only 33 percent of those were referred to a quit smoking program.
The Helpline has experienced a big increase in referrals by health care providers, from six percent of callers in 1992 to nearly 44 percent today. Still, the Helpline wants to see more intervention by medical personnel.
"We are asking health care professionals to get more involved and help spread the word about available cessation services," said Kristin Harms, communications manager for the Helpline. "We recommend the 'Ask, Advise, Refer' approach: ask your patients if they smoke or use chewing tobacco, advise those who do to quit, and refer them to 1-800-NO-BUTTS for effective help."
Research has shown that patients who are advised to quit are more likely to try, and that those who receive telephone counseling are twice as likely to be successful.
An average of more than 350 Lake County smokers annually call the Smokers’ Helpline, with many also attending cessation programs facilitated by Lake Family Resource Center and St. Helena Hospital.
To make it easy to refer patients, medical professionals can obtain free Take Charge cards that list the Helpline's six language lines and provide a brief description of services.
For more information about the California Smokers' Helpline or to obtain Take Charge cards and other free promotional materials, contact Joy Swetnam, Lake FRC Lake County Tobacco Education Program, at 707-279-0563 or
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St. Helena Hospital Clearlake’s Physical Therapy Department will provide instructional and enjoyable exercise techniques and Julie Hoskins, executive chef and owner of Chic Le Chef, will discuss healthy eating tips.
This free event will be held from from noon to 3 p.m. at Brick Hall, 16374 Main St., Lower Lake.
Seating is limited and lunch will be provided. Reservations are required; please call 1-800-540-3611.