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Iv ish to call to your attention a very h stressing cwelo?:-.ient viti i in the AEC, which could effect the lives of nunclreh of ccncer Located in Oak Eidge, Tenaessee i s a most promineat resecr-ck f z c ili ty, Oak Ridge Associated U a ivers i ties, 14edical Division, which receives the p enter part of it so se rating funds from the AX. Since 1965' it iias been undergoing anaual budget cuts Ln AEC funds azlnually; 2nd aow the f i n d blow--no inore Punch. -i?zr vembcr 15th the hospital will close ?ermanently unless you czn oiieYaTcoLiLd hzve groviciecl a cure for cancer. A congexiel r.n ~ effective res ser ch teen of four doctors and their su3port stz.fP will be dissolved. ISefore the annual budget cuts patients were referred here fror:i every stzte ; many area live todcy beccuse of the aclvonced ';rezt::ieat iitve received training in the tree.tnent of ccncer here. '3r. Lo::l=ll afa tien t,TJ ~ Og ives her case history z nd the work clone ce O:;L..U Iam zl so enclosing a copy of the reply from Dr. Janes Liver x.a, Director of biomedical cnd Environmental Resezrch, i n resnonse t o the n2peal I mecle to my Congressnzn to intercede.Dr.Live xia ' s exp lr nation sounded feasible, and would leed one t o believe tile pc tien twill be well cared for. an cie s when one coq ere s it with the official letter seat t o tile 02AU patients (which I an! also enclosing) inforining them of Lie dev e1o peats .D r . Liverazn st n test hz t superior care will be zvailnbic Car p z tien tat the Es st Tennessee Chncer Resecrch Center, Univcrsit;. Cz c ili ty is s re seat ly in t;ie alarming stzp,event ud ly to LxG.:: There are, Iiowever, sone deccrc;)-
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su;>erior to the one inthe new, nodern Oak Ridge iios;lital. z tten tion from the staff ifas in co zip rahl e in every wzy. Present fec ili ties could surely be funded by theAX, as inthe pcst, until a new building could be built, or the gro?osed Zegionzl Centcr et the University of Temessee is are nl it y. You will note that the letter nail cd fro:u OUUto the p z ti ents states that the present prowem will not be continued at Sz st Tennessee Csncer Xesezrch Center. doctor in z de qu ct ely trained to treat czncer 2nd i n the use of the latest methods av zila ble ; very ”,rrUilztic indeed. The average doctor does not have the necesszry lz b oratory facilities z vc ii able t o .do the necessery blood work to no a it or the cliscrse. It i s not ;jossible, even under the best of cos ditions, for cciequate 2riva te The p z tien t is zcivised to consult I n ncny cz s est hz t nems relying u ~ o n2 finnnces, reducing him t o poverty. Insurance is inadequnte t o cover all costs, and it eventually runs out. he is getting is not the best avcilG5i.e aad tkt res ez r ch iics been E:c.Ciccl Division a t once. Sevcrc.1 OC the s“vzff kve clreedy interviewed for other on plo pent, tlirich i s za irre2lz cz ble loss to research znd the treatment of czncer. !!itii fmris for cosltinucd opcrstiorr restored, adequzte tine could be ,&.?ecf to give consideret ion for2 new, well-equiped buil,ding. I f you would 1001: into the work clone by the highly trained,de fic zte d ?crsonnel zt ORAU, I 2in sure you v~oulcli rme ~ diet el yr e aliz e tiict the coat in uz tion 0: this f z c ili ty is vitel.
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sarcom of the bone; but thanks to Cod and to the ingenuity of the physicialr a t the Oak Ridge been living over six y s n with this disease when statistics show that I shculd have &en dead. In lSi@t!+e surgeon removed a from my spleen. By 1971 the tumors had spread into the thoracic region. The surgeon removed a tunor from my ieit lung. Many others were located near by heart and vocal chords and could not be safely removed. .4s a last recourse, I sought the assistance of the research specialist ' a t ORAU wit!! the cure me, they could iearrr something that would aid them The research team went to work. After giving me a comprehensive examination, they held a consultation and agreed to by an experimental method of chemotherapy to ry to shrink the tumors. Dr. Francis Gmwitz, witn remarkable skill, adniiriistnred the medicine. He Sve me VeIoane, a drug h t ?revents cancer cell division; Cy!maa a form of mustard gas t!!at g e s throughmt the body and destroys cancer cells; and Prednisone, a form of COrt is OiE Then the miracle: .4fter less than three months treatment, I Since then I hare been living a normal life and workiilg every day. NOH.1 go to ORATJ once a qaantitp of medicine that restrains the frcwtn of tumors. That scxe typs of C2i:cer can k ccmoIied as sugar diabetes can be controkd scunds inThe phenomcnm oi m y recovery is familiar to the rsemh spcciaiist at OHAU because they ofter. wi!ness
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Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 S ev zz d nonths ago i t was f - rst announced inthe newspapers that the OMU Medical Division Hospital would soon be closing. these reports were ambiguous and allowed sope people t o mistakenly believe the Piedical Division ' s clinical program would be transferred to the East Tennessee Cancer Research Center i n connection with the U. T . Memorial B ospital in Knoxville, and that the program would continue unchanged except for rtl oca tic n.I believe the need for closing was accuratdy repoyted and tne USkEC has ruled out the possibility of building a new hospital here at Oak Ridge. Therefore, after October 18, 1974we will admit no patients to the hospital except for ' specific research tests and on h'overnber 15,1974the hospital will be cio sed permanently. All outpatient aid inpatient visits scheduled for after Decenber 15 will be cancelled. Although the eventual re organ izz t ign of the ORAU medical prJgram has not been finalized,tie plan to naintain an outpatient nuclear medicine research program t o continue testing new ways of ds tec ting cancer with radioactive isotopes. the outpatient ' services will be limited to experimental diagnostic procedures and wii l not include treat sent. others the closing will inflict Bra al hardship,e spec iai ly on those who have become dependent u?on tis for care of their very serious illness cs. We genuinely regret the necessity of this decision and further regret: the mic lead iq aspects of the reports and rumors which have circulated. The work and associa t ioc with the piirier,rs C t ORAU has been ci neaniTpfu1 a?.d fulfilling eq erie n ce for each staff member. and appreciative of the confidence that ;JOU have shown i n us and yaar willingness to assist us in carrying out our research missicn. Weare very much arrare of who ori,Pinall.jr rcicrred you t o 0:M; (or t o any personal pnysician or' your choice). .I'lczsr b e nssured that Tat2 want t o cooperete withy ~ uand yc12r doctor in an:,' way we can wit n in the const rr in ts placed upon cs by ogr contract with the USAEC and the law. VP will be happy t o correspond **-ith your doctor and t o make ccpies of your chary for h in a: your request..
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Some patients will literally not know which way to turn. If you are one, please let me suggest that you 1) consult your personal(family) doctor,discuss with him how you view this event and what you feel it implies for you personally or 2) call us tosee if w e can help direct you t o some suitable alternative. We want to he12 you find suitable sources of medical care and if necessary, to attempt to help you arrange financial assistance. If you feel the need to discuss these matters, Ms. Bingham, our head nurse, is prepared to receive your calls and will make arrange cents for you t o come into talk either with her or with another szafr‘ menber who will advise you regarding these adjustments. numb er extens ion You may reach Ms. Bingham by Once Gzain, ot behalf of the entire staff at the OhAU Medical Division we appreciate having worked with you. progress against our common enemy, cancer, and w e wish you the very best. With your help we have made significant Chief of Clinical Services
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ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Honor able LaMar Baker House of Rcpr e sent at iv e6 . Your letter t o Mr. RobertO ' Neill dated July 16, 1974, concerning of Oak Ridgea letter you had received from has been referred tome for reply. The concern expressed by institutions of cancer research and treatment, in particular the Oak Ridge Associated Universities PIedical Division, arises in part from the difficulty of interpreting to the public the k ign if i can ce of a series of negotiations now going on with OMU, University of Tennessee Memorial Hospital in Knoxville,the East Tennessee Cancer Researr:i Center, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.First, our intent is t o improve the East Tennessee regional capability for the clinical management of cancer and cancer research through cooperative support of this group. This will undoubtedly require increased allocations from AEC, and .- should be assured that any actions which are eventually recommended with respect to the PIedical Division of ORAU will not be a consequence of a cut in AEC funds: The issue or' maintaining a clinical research facility i n Oak Ridge has recurred over a period of several years. problem in parris due to substandard clinical facilities wfiich do not meet the criteria of accreditation and licensing authorities. However, a defect not so easily repaired was emphasized by a group of medical scientists and clinicians who reviewed the program of the Medical Division and pointed out that Oak Ridge Lacked the population and referral characteristics required to sustain clinical invest iga - tion of the scope and quality now found in large medical centers. It was recornended that OXAU X ed ical Division should explore the for the need to sustain the
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option of becoming integrated into the East Tennessee Cancer Research Center a t the University Memorial Hospital in Knoxville where, i t was felt,a more suitable environment for clinical investigation could be deGelopad. underway and some issues of local pride and differing.person a1 views will highlight their progress. However, there is a good chance of strengthening the performance of all the institutions which are involved in the East Tennessee region by a cooperative program and by developing an outstanding clinical research center a t the University Memorial ' Hospital in Knoxville. some time to develo'p the decisions which might lead to the changes which have been recommended. These negotiations are now It will take I n the meantime I think you can assure i s to improve continually the ability of the institutions which we that our goal .support in performance of their mission of cancer research and
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been an important cancer research center since it was formedat thereguestof the AEC It has treated n umer w victim d leukemia. cancer of the white blood cells, by using plants rod special drugs. The Division discovered several years ago that 8 radioactive Lotope of gallium U useful ln detecting cancer because of its tendency to settle in :oft tissue tumors. Among the Division's better known nuclear medicine progrrm is the Caopenllve Cmup to Study Localization d 16 medical schools and hospitab. It is considered iinportant that raunh of ORAU continue LO be conducted in Oak Ridge becaw National Laboratory, where radioisotoes with very short ball livu are produced for The ORAU announcement portant centers of basic biomedical research: the biological chemistry group under Dr. Fred Snyder and the Marmoset Research Center under Dr. Nazareth Gengorian. Both of these programs wdl eontinre, prcbably on an excentrating on the study of fatty mbsrsnces, called lipids, and their function in cells. This team bas discovered a rare group d Upib characteristic of mort man. It is hoped that the results -tribute to the broader goal d prevention, diagnosis. and treatment of cancer. anter, with ig large colony d the South Amencan primates is focusing upon studies in immunology and cancer of Ihe colon, which the marmoset "In addition to these team. the Medical Divisicin conducts a variety of other basic UDE VOUS e& In animal and members may be given jobs in other ORAU programs. depending on the AEC budget with the UT Hospital are still in the discussirin sta:e, but tnat it Is hoped that ORAU physicians will bc able to work with the L'T staff in treating cancer palrents at the UT Medical Research Center and Hosoital in KnoxNo ORAU physicians are DLWI&I~ to leave the Medical bivisioistaff as a result of this change, although Potter did recall that Drs. Francis and Helen Coswib left the ORAU staff several month ago to go lolo the.private practice after laming that the closing of the OIUU barpital was imminenL Early last spring It was mated by an AEC Deer kpital clae down and transfer l b patient care efforts to the proposed East Tennessee Cancer Research Center. It has been planned that thh center would kale at the UT hospital. ' The reasons given f o r the proposed hlnsfer of the Medical Division's patient care program 1. The Medical Dtvision bullding was outmoded and even failed to meet the accreditatim standards of the state of Ten ornet. although it d a s not have tomeet these standards since it 2. The patient pool in Oak Edgeb small. so therefore it would not be too economical to modernize Ibr horpilal here for only about seven patients a 5 A mueh larger pool of IuuedORAU specialists to treat and conduct clinical research on abts at the UT hospital. where the regi ml Cancer Research Center Intends to be Cmiidering these factors, the AEC peer group suggested fhat it would be more economical to trader ORAU's patient care program of cancer research 0 the UT hospital. The suggestion was then rludied by an ORAU internal committee and a committet of the ORAU baard of directors. The decision was then made to dae the hospital in October. supported both by the AEC and other government and pnvau. i educational and research cotFaration of 42 univenilin and colleges in the South. It opcraln under a prime contract with VK AEC, as well as with fund5 from other private and govcrmrrC
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P.O.Box 117 - Oak Ridyu. Teniiessec 37330 Several mantha ago it wu fir at announced in the …
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