Walking into South Florida Baptist Hospital’s Cancer Resource Center is like walking into a homey living room. Instead of a cold, sterile environment, couches are set up in the main lobby with books and refreshments. It’s this welcoming environment that the hospital wants the community to see and to use.
To that end, the hospital will host an open house for its Cancer Resource Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.
“The Cancer Resource Center is a type of place that is more of a home,” Volunteer Coordinator Teresa Armbruster said. “It’s a comforting place … we like to take each patient — each visitor — one at a time. Because they’ve been through a lot.”
The center works to improve cancer patients’ quality of life by providing information about free programs and services, gift items such as hats, wigs, turbans, scarves, bras and breast prostheses, and also lending a listening ear.
Many of the volunteers who man the center Tuesday through Thursday have battled cancer themselves.
“We would like our community to know we are here for them,” Armbruster said.
The center opened Aug. 15, 2011. But before it opened, it had been the vision of American Cancer Society Board Member Wendy Brown. She approached the then-hospital-Chief Operating Officer Steve Nierman about creating the center. The closest had been in Lakeland and Tampa.
Since then, it had been a passion project in the community. Brown’s Realtor friend found a living room set for the front room. Brown also worked to get donations to stock the center.
Since then, it has gotten bigger with more donations. But the center still needs donations like wigs and prostheses. Monetary donations can be sent to the South Florida Hospital Foundation, earmarked for the Cancer Resource Center.
It also needs more volunteers. It’s open three days, in two different shifts. If the hospital can get more volunteers, it can stay open on other days.
Cancer Resource Center Open House
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18
WHERE: 1708 Palmetto Ave., directly behind the hospital
PHONE: (813) 704-4838