Steven Pennington says he hopes no resident will ever have to leave Elkin for medical services.

Pennington, CEO of Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital was excited about the possibilities ahead with the recent partnership of Hugh Chatham and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. "We see this as a part of our large array of services we have here at the hospital," Pennington said Friday. "We are expanding our cancer radiation program on campus at the hospital, and people will be seeing the groundbreaking for that soon. We are working in that partnership with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the physicians at Wake Forest as well."

Dr. James Peacock, a instructing physician at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, has been providing cancer treatment services at an office off the grounds of Hugh Chatham for the past three months.

Peacock is in Elkin as part of an effort by Hugh Chatham and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to expand top rate cancer treatment services to the outlying areas around Baptist Hospital. Peacock will provide services to local Hugh Chatham patients and refer them to Winston-Salem if needed.

Pennington said he feels Peacock's presence and the partnership with Baptist Hospital, completes the whole of Hugh Chatham's services.

"We feel there shoud be very few patients that should not receive treatment here at Hugh Chatham," he said. "Our staff and our physicians are competent so we think with the addition of this partnership one of our strongest points of service is from a specialty perspective. So patients don't have to leave our community for medical care. That's where we're going."

There are currently three branch offices including Elkin associated with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in the area. Mount Airy and Lexington already have services being provided by a doctor employed by Baptist.

The ability to provide patients with the care they need in their community and allow them access to the wide array of services and resources associated with Baptist Hospital is a major coup for Hugh Chatham, says Pennington. "This adds to the whole entire cancer center for the hospital (Hugh Chatham) and expands our services," Pennington said. "So Dr. Peacock brings the expertise of the Wake Forest cancer program to Hugh Chatham."

Peacock said he is excited to be able to provide those services to the Elkin community and feels the partnership is a great positive to provide patients with services and fulfill their needs without forcing them to travel in a time when comfort is irreplaceable.

Peacock will be in the office located just past the Hugh Chatham entrance on Johnson Ridge road five days a week, working half days on Wednesday and Friday. He will continue to teach at Wake Forest.