Chemotherapy is administered as a treatment for cancer in the Ambulatory Medical Unit (AMU) of Outer Banks Health – or AMU for short. The AMU is located on the first floor of the Medical Office Building behind the hospital.
Patients receive personalized attention and integrated care, with easy access to nutrition counseling, cancer navigation services, board-certified palliative care, and the Symptom Management Clinic. Our state-of-the-art, evidence-based practices meet the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) protocols which ensure that patients receive the treatment and support that will most likely lead to optimal outcomes.
Hair loss is a distressing side effect and one of the top reasons why a patient may choose not to undergo chemotherapy treatment. In 2017, TOBH Director of Cancer Services Robin Hearne, RN, attended the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) annual meeting in Washington, DC. It was there that she learned about scalp cooling therapy.
Scalp cooling therapy works by reducing the temperature of the scalp by a few degrees immediately before, during, and after the administration of chemotherapy. This reduces the blood flow to hair follicles, which may prevent or minimize hair loss.
Today, TOBH offers the cooling therapy to individuals undergoing specific types of chemotherapy treatment.
Through monies raised by The Nags Head Golf Links Ladies “Driving Fore the Cure” golf tournament, a fund has been established at the Outer Banks Relief Foundation to cover the cost for those who cannot afford the cooling therapy.
Watch Jennifer Schwartzenberg’s video below where she talks about her scalp cooling therapy.
Chemotherapy is administered Monday-Friday from 7:00am-7:00pm. All nursing staff are certified by the Oncology Nursing Society to administer chemotherapy and biotherapy.
For more information, contact the Ambulatory Medical Unit, located in the Medical Office Building, at 252-449-5606.
