Cancer patients in Columbus will soon be able to get PET/CT scans multiple days a week in a permanent room at Columbus Community Hospital, instead of waiting for a mobile unit that used to roll up outside the radiology department just once a week. The upgrade comes as part of the new Mead Family Cancer Center, located adjacent to the hospital, which is bringing infusion therapy, radiation oncology, medical oncology, PET/CT imaging, and patient navigation together under one roof.
According to Midwest Medical Edition, the hospital is adding a brand-new Siemens in-house PET/CT scanner that combines positron emission tomography and computed tomography in a single machine, a tool doctors use to detect and stage cancer, locate abnormal cellular changes, and shape treatment plans. The outlet reports that Denise Tomek, Columbus Community Hospital's director of diagnostic imaging, said in-house PET/CT imaging allows for more timely, convenient care while helping patients stay close to home. Andy Sack, one of three nuclear medical technologists on staff at the hospital, said the new Siemens scanner offers enhanced image quality that will make cancer detection easier, per the same report.
A Bigger, Dedicated Scan Room Replaces the Mobile Unit
Per Midwest Medical Edition, the scan room inside the Mead Family Cancer Center is larger and separate compared with the compact mobile unit patients previously used, and the hospital says it offers local access, flexible appointment times, reduced wait times, and a more comfortable scan room overall. The publication reports the Siemens scanner offers up-to-date technology, faster diagnoses, and more accurate monitoring.
That shift tracks with details from other outlets covering the center's broader rollout. LBM Journal describes the center as a 26,500-square-foot facility that consolidates infusion therapy, radiation oncology, medical oncology, PET/CT imaging, and patient navigation into one location. The center will have a permanent PET/CT scanner available multiple days a week, following the once-a-week mobile service patients relied on before.
Ribbon Cutting and Hospital Leadership's Take
CCH President and CEO Michael Hansen told LBM Journal the center is meant to cut down on how often patients have to leave town for treatment. “The biggest thing is people won't have to travel for a majority of their cancer care,” Hansen said, according to the outlet. The hospital and the Mead family celebrated a ribbon cutting for the center on a Thursday, Oct. 22, the same report states.
The Norfolk Daily News reports the center sits adjacent to Columbus Community Hospital and was made possible by a donation from the Mead family, and notes the facility features a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator for radiation therapy alongside the new imaging capability.
Opening Timeline Set for Nov. 9
Midwest Medical Edition reported Nov. 3 that patients can receive in-house PET/CT when the center opens Nov. 9, 2026. Columbus Community Hospital's own cancer-radiology page, via Columbus Cancer Care, states the Mead Family Cancer Center is scheduled to open in November 2026. The hospital's own news page had earlier said the project was set to break ground in spring with plans to open in fall 2026.
Columbus Cancer Care's site also lists PSMA PET and standard PET/CT among the radiology services planned for the center, underscoring the expanded imaging menu patients will have access to locally once the program is fully up and running.
