Southern Ohio Medical Center

11/26/2025

Did you know SOMC Ironton Family Health Center now has a pharmacy pick-up station? Fast, easy prescription pick-up right in Ironton.💊

11/26/2025

SOMC is thrilled to welcome Janell Ison, DO, a physician specializing in Psychiatry, to our medical staff.

She is joining the SOMC Portsmouth Family Health Center. Welcome, Dr. Ison!

11/25/2025

Join us in welcoming Jasmine Thompson, FNP-C, to the Radiation Oncology Team at the SOMC Cancer and Infusion Services.

Welcome! 🥳

11/24/2025

📣 We’re hiring!
SOMC Sports Motion is searching for passionate Athletic Trainers to join our team.

If you’re dedicated to keeping athletes healthy, strong, and performing at their best, we want to hear from you!

👉 Apply today and make an impact. https://www.somc.org/careers/

11/21/2025

Today, we honor those living with COPD and the caregivers who walk beside them.
-Early detection matters.
-No one faces this alone.

To learn more, please contact the SOMC Pulmonary & Critical Care Associates at 740-356-6891.

11/21/2025

We're hiring! Join our incredible Home Care team.

Visit www.somc.org/careers/ for more information.

11/20/2025

Since its introduction ten years ago, the CT lung screening program at SOMC has seen tremendous growth. It has also helped thousands of patients begin their fight against lung cancer on stronger footing.

“One of the goals of the CT lung screening program is to catch cancer early,” Jenny Woodyard, Lung Health Navigator at SOMC, explained. “Lung cancer doesn’t really show any signs or symptoms, and since we were diagnosing it in later stages, treatment options were limited and survival was poor.”

In the first year SOMC offered the CT lung screening program, Woodyard says they screened around 300 patients. In the most recent year, they screened around 2400 – a growth of more than 700%. As a result, SOMC has also made progress in shifting the stage lung cancer is being identified.

“Over the last year, 61% of our lung cancer patients were diagnosed in stage one or stage two,” Woodyard said.

“Lung cancer awareness is important because the disease is still very prevalent, and a very lethal disease if it’s not caught in time — but if we catch it early, we can cure it,” Dr. Jeremiah Martin explained.

For patients, identifying lung cancer in earlier stages means more than just a higher survival rate. It also means they can be treated through less intrusive means. Instead of aggressive chemotherapy, for example, patients may be considered cured after a minimally invasive surgery.

“The CT screen is a non-invasive test,” Dr. Martin said. “It’s a CT scan, there’s no needles. You lay on a table. It takes less than a minute to get the information and allows your doctor to see inside the lungs.”

The success of the screening program has occurred alongside other developments, such as advancements in radiation treatments and immunotherapy. “Instead of doing 20 or 30 daily treatments, some patients can have four to five very precise treatments and then just be monitored,” Woodyard said.

Although the success of the CT lung screening program has been tremendous, SOMC is still pushing for more. As the program grows, so does the organization’s goal.

“We never thought we’d get to where we’re at, but of course we want to continue the momentum,” Woodyard said. “Our growth rate, historically, has been about 20% per year. We’re still looking to add more and continue our progress for higher numbers in screenings and better outcomes for patients.”

Lung screenings are available to patients who are age 50 to 77, have a to***co smoking history of at least 20 packs per year, are a current smoker or one who has quit within the last 15 years, has no history of lung cancer, and no signs or symptoms of lung cancer.

For more information, including to learn if a CT lung cancer screening is right for you, call 740-356-5864 (LUNG).

11/20/2025

Today is the day! Stop by the SOMC Quit Cafe today and tell us your reason why.

🚭 SOMC Quit Café – Great American Smokeout Event 🚭
Thursday, November 20 | 11 AM – 1 PM
SOMC Medical Library in the main lobby of SOMC

Join us for a relaxing break at the Quit Café—where we’re brewing up support for a to***co-free life! Enjoy:

☕ Free coffee and tea
✅ “Pick a Quit Tip” bowl – grab a motivational message or healthy coping tip
✅ Photo booth – show your commitment to quitting or supporting others
✅ “Write Your Why” board – share what inspires you to quit or support someone who is quitting.
✅ Meet with our team to learn about local resources and strategies to quit to***co for good.

Let’s take the first step together toward a smoke-free future!

11/18/2025

Recently, SOMC Hospice hosted A Life Celebration event honoring patients ​ passed away on Hospice services from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025. This event featured a memorial service honoring those patients, as well as a display of the hospice memorial quilts from 2019-2025.

Since the 1980s, SOMC Hospice staff and volunteers have been involved in making SOMC Hospice Memorial Quilts. Our volunteers have made over 70 quilts in the last 30 years! It takes approximately 60 hours to prepare the quilts. Each year, fabric is cut and sent out to the families. Upon their return, the memorial blocks are inventoried, measured and recut before being sewn together. The quilt top is then attached to a backing fabric and bound, creating the beautiful quilts that we have displayed.

Please join us in thanking the following volunteers for graciously gifting us their time and talent through this special project:
Barb Burke
Mary Daniel
Jone Payton
Patty Pasquinelli
Sheila Bobst
Phyllis Fried

We would also like to extend a special thank you to the event staff at Shawnee State University, Amanda Klaiber, for her musical performance, and volunteers from the SOMC Hospice staff.

For questions about the quilt project or SOMC Hospice Bereavement Services, please contact our bereavement coordinator, Alexis Fiorita, at 740-356-2676.

A limited quantity of keepsake memorial ornaments is also available for purchase at the following website: https://www.somc.org/support-us/our-events/hospice-keepsake-ornaments/.

11/17/2025

Happy Lung Health Month! 💙

Today, we’re spotlighting our amazing Pulmonary Rehab team. Thank you for the expertise, compassion and encouragement you bring to your patients every day.

11/16/2025

🚭 SOMC Quit Café – Great American Smokeout Event 🚭
Thursday, November 20 | 11 AM – 1 PM
SOMC Medical Library in the main lobby of SOMC

Join us for a relaxing break at the Quit Café—where we’re brewing up support for a to***co-free life! Enjoy:

☕ Free coffee and tea
✅ “Pick a Quit Tip” bowl – grab a motivational message or healthy coping tip
✅ Photo booth – show your commitment to quitting or supporting others
✅ “Write Your Why” board – share what inspires you to quit or support someone who is quitting.
✅ Meet with our team to learn about local resources and strategies to quit to***co for good.

Let’s take the first step together toward a smoke-free future!

11/15/2025

We're Hiring!
Join the SOMC Human Resources team and help us support the people who make exceptional care possible! If you're passionate about people and love making a difference, we want to hear from you!

Visit www.somc.org/careers/ for more information.