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Cancer Society’s Parkersburg office closes

PARKERSBURG — The local American Cancer Society office on Briscoe Road closed Friday but the nationwide research and advocacy organization isn’t going away.

“We are not leaving, only changing,” said Carmen Hathaway, community development manager.

The local office is one of a number being closed around the country as part of a business decision made by the organization to “be even better stewards of our donors’ money,” Hathaway said.

“This change will allow your American Cancer Society to put more of those donations to work through research projects, programs and services for cancer patients and to encourage our neighbors (to) live a healthy lifestyle to prevent this disease,” Hathaway added in a Facebook post.

Hathaway will officially be listed as working out of the Charleston office, but most of the time, she will be in the local area.

“I’ll have a home office here in Parkersburg,” she said. “We will not miss a beat.”

Besides supporting the Relay for Life events in Parkersburg and Williamstown, the ACS will continue to provide educational brochures, free wigs, transportation to treatment and programs like “Look Good, Feel Better.” In many cases, services for patients and caregivers will be offered at the Cancer Resource Center on the first floor of Camden Clark Medical Center’s Medical Office Building B, Hathaway said. ACS volunteers already staff the resource center.

“We enjoy a good working relationship with our local American Cancer Society and appreciate their support to the many cancer patients we serve,” Marilyn McClure, oncology social worker with the West Virginia University Cancer Institute at Camden Clark, said in an emailed statement. “We do not anticipate any change in this with the closing of their building. … We will continue to refer and have frequent communication with their staff both locally, statewide and regionally as we work together to assist our patients in their cancer journey towards survivorship.”

The office also served as a place for volunteers to meet and turn in money raised for Relay.

“I’ve already got a couple of other places in mind for us to meet,” Hathaway said, adding that donations could be turned in at events or meetings or mailed to the Charleston office.

The only other employee at the local office was the office manager, who was offered a position at the society’s Morgantown location, Hathaway said.

People can contact Hathaway through the Charleston office at 304-347-5899, ext. 18041, or get information from the society’s website, www.cancer.org, or the National Cancer Information Center, at 800-227-2345.

At a glance

American Cancer Society contacts:

≤ Carmen Hathaway, Charleston office — 304-347-5899, ext. 18041

≤ National Cancer Information Center — 800-227-2345

≤ American Cancer Society website — www.cancer.org

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