By Lauren Glendenning, For Memorial Regional Health

The new Infusion Center in Craig will help provide comfort to patients in the area needing oncology and infusion therapy services.

The Infusion Center, located at 750 Hospital Loop, will cater to the increased number of people in the area needing a wide variety of infusions and injectable medication. Offering infusion and injection treatment isn’t a new service at Memorial Regional Health, but the new space strives to make the patient experience more pleasant than before.

Through a partnership with St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Memorial Regional Health offers oncology services via three board-certified oncologists affiliated with the health system.

Infusion therapy is necessary for patients who require administration of medication through a needle or catheter. An important aspect of cancer treatment often involves infusion therapy services.

“Services range from the administration of antibiotics for inpatients to the delivery of long-term chemotherapy in the outpatient setting,” according to MRH. “Whatever your condition, we’ll ensure you’re comfortable during the entirety of your treatment. We strive to make healthcare as easy as possible for our community members.”

Chemotherapy

Chemo treatments depend on the type of cancer, goals of treatment, drugs being used and how your body responds to them, according to the American Cancer Society. Treatments can occur daily, weekly or monthly, but are typically given in on-and-off cycles. 

“This means, for example, that you may get chemo the first two weeks and then have a week off, making it a cycle that will start over every three weeks,” according to the American Cancer Society. “The time off lets your body build healthy new cells and regain its strength.” 

The American Cancer Society describes the process as the following:

Most chemotherapy drugs are put right into your bloodstream through a tiny, soft, plastic tube called a catheter. A needle is used to put the catheter into a vein in your forearm or hand; then the needle is taken out, leaving the catheter behind. This is called intravenous or IV treatment, given in the following ways:

• The drugs can be given quickly through the catheter right from a syringe over a few minutes. This is called an IV push.
• An IV infusion can last from a few minutes to a few hours. A mixed drug solution flows from a plastic bag through tubing that’s attached to the catheter. The flow is often controlled by a machine called an IV pump.
• Continuous infusions are sometimes needed and can last from one to seven days. These are always controlled by electronic IV pumps.

Infusion Services at MRH 

Memorial Regional Health provides infusion therapy services for a variety of medical conditions to Craig and surrounding communities. According to the National Home Infusion Association, other than cancer and cancer-related pain, diseases that often call for infusion therapy include infections, dehydration, disorders with the gastrointestinal system, congestive heart failure and immune deficiencies.