Louisville CyberKnife Opens at the Brown Cancer Center
Louisville CyberKnife, a new cancer treatment facility, opened in October at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center in downtown Louisville. CyberKnife is a robotic technology used by radiation oncologists and surgeons to treat cancerous and noncancerous tumors and other medical conditions noninvasively using high-dose radiation delivered in five or fewer outpatient procedures.
Louisville CyberKnife offers the first and only CyberKnife technology available in Kentuckiana and the second in the state of Kentucky. The $6 million investment was developed as a joint venture between the James Graham Brown Cancer Center and US Radiosurgery.
During the treatment, patients lie on a table while the CyberKnife’s robotic arm moves around them, delivering targeted radiation directly to their tumor and minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The CyberKnife is capable of treating tumors from virtually unlimited directions, making it possible to treat difficult-to-reach tumors that may have been considered inoperable in the past. Patients usually return to normal activities immediately following treatment.
CyberKnife treats tumors throughout the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas, kidney, bone and eye. It can also treat trigeminal neuralgia, a neuropathic disorder that causes intense facial pain and blood vessel abnormalities.
The opening of Louisville CyberKnife culminates a long and persistent effort by Dr. Bobby Baker and Louisville businessman Steve Bass, both of whom spearheaded efforts to secure a certificate of need from state regulators for a CyberKnife program in Louisville.
The Oct. 17 ribbon-cutting event unveiled Louisville CyberKnife and included a demonstration of the technology. Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) and Mayor Greg Fischer were in attendance. Dr. Shiao Woo, medical director of Louisville CyberKnife, spoke about the treatment and its benefits.
Louisville CyberKnife is located in the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at 529 S. Jackson St. For more information, call (855) 737-8200 or visit www.louisvilleck.com.
LVAA Launches Artebella
The Louisville Visual Art Association has launched Artebella, a new website and daily email featuring a different Louisville-area artist’s work for sale each weekday. The aim of Artebella is to help educate the public on visual art, build international awareness for local artists, and connect local artists to prospective buyers.
The public is encouraged to participate by submitting their email address at www.ArtebellaDaily.org. “Artebella is for anyone who loves art and wants see some of the wonderful creative work produced by local artists,” says LVAA Executive Director Shannon Westerman. “It is a terrific vehicle for both emerging and well established artists to expand their visibility and reach out to potentially new patrons. For the general public, it is a daily dose of creativity that will brighten anyone’s morning.”
Those who sign up for the email program will receive an image of the featured artist’s original artwork along with a short essay about the artist and their work. The featured artwork is available for sale on the artist’s archived page on the Artebella website. Emails are distributed Monday through Friday.
Participating artists must be a member of LVAA to have their artwork considered (membership is $40 annually and can be purchased online at www.louisvillevisualart.org/membership.html). Any media, size, style and subject may be submitted for consideration in the Artebella program. A curatorial panel will select works based on quality and visual appeal. Submissions may be made online at www.ArtebellaDaily.org.
Mindsalt, a local design firm, is behind the Artebella daily email and website design, including individual pages for featured artists and a searchable archive. Mindsalt designer Ashley Revlett says that when the company first heard about the Artebella program they immediately knew they wanted to be involved. “We’re long-time supporters of local art and artists,” she says. “Artebella is a great opportunity to share the work of local artists with the community and the world through the Internet.”
Peace Education Program Wins Pyramid Award
Peace Education Program, 318 W. Kentucky St., was chosen out of 43 high-achieving organizations serving the Louisville and southern Indiana area to receive the 2012 Pyramid Award for the Art of Diversity. The award ceremony took place on October 9 at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Leadership Conference and Pyramid Awards of Excellence Luncheon at the Galt House.
Thirty years ago, the Peace Education Program taught conflict resolution in one classroom, in one school. Today, they have a network of 88 schools where mediation and/or conflict resolution is practiced every day. The program impacts 20,000 youths annually in Louisville and Southern Indiana.
Eighteen years ago, Louisville’s youth homicide rate was one of the highest in the nation. Peace Education Program joined a coalition to address the problem, training 400 gang-involved youth and their friends to mediate conflicts. Starting in seven housing authority sites, Peace Education Program now has a network of adults in 67 community sites.
For more information about Peace Education Program, visit www.peaceeducationprogram.org, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or call (502)589-6583.
Since 2000, the Center for Nonprofit Excellence has awarded six different nonprofit awards in the following categories: Art of Collaboration, Diversity, Governance, Leadership, Social Innovation and Vision. Each award is sponsored by local companies or individuals. The Art of Diversity award was sponsored by Fifth Third Bank.
The Center for Nonprofit Excellence was established in 1999 through the work of many. Chief among them was the Donors Forum of Kentuckiana, Metro United Way, and Metro Louisville. The program provides a central point to access information, best practices, professional development and hands-on consultation, promoting innovation and excellence. For more information, along with listings of 2012 Pyramid Award winners in the other categories, visit www.cnpe.org, or call (502) 315-2673.
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