In Surry County, NC, Cancer Care Is Close to Home

Courtesy of Hugh Chatham Health + Deevo Tindall, Fusion Photography

While home might be where the heart is, it’s not always where the hospital is, especially in rural areas or smaller communities. That is not the case for Surry County, NC, however, where Hugh Chatham Health in Elkin has been providing medical care to the region for nearly a century. 

25 Years of Local Cancer Care

Those services increased significantly 25 years ago when Hugh Chatham Health partnered with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist to offer expanded care – including comprehensive cancer care – to the community. This bond was strengthened in 2025, as Hugh Chatham Health officially joined Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, which is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the country. 

Atrium Health is now investing $100 million in Hugh Chatham Health to enhance the hospital’s resources and increase patient access to quality cancer care close to home. 

Courtesy of Hugh Chatham Health

“In a small, rural community, access to care is vital,” Hugh Chatham Health Community Engagement Director Katee Hettleman says.  

“One of our primary goals is to keep care local as much as possible. By strengthening our partnership with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, we’re going to have access to innovation and technology that will enable patients to receive the care they need right here in Elkin.” 

That is particularly important when it comes to cancer treatment, because it often involves repeated hospital visits over an extended period of time. Hettleman notes that traveling several hours each time a treatment is needed can be “physically and emotionally exhausting.” 

“Receiving care close to home reduces that time and stress, and allows patients to be near their family and support systems,” Hettleman says. “That access isn’t just a convenience. It plays a critical role in supporting patients through their treatment and can make such a difference.” 

On-Site Cancer-Care Services

For years, Hugh Chatham Health has offered a wide range of cancer-care services, including radiation and infusion oncology, through its on-site, freestanding medical oncology clinic. Now, the partnership with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is enabling Hugh Chatham Health to further expand its options for advanced treatments and clinical trials. 

“Last year, we provided more than 8,000 treatments, reflecting the scope and impact of our services,” Hettleman says. “Those numbers speak both to the need for these services in our community and the trust patients place in us.” 

Not all these services are found within the hospital’s walls. Hugh Chatham Health recently partnered with the Elkin Valley Trails Association to create a 1-mile “healing trail” that circles a small pond on the Hugh Chatham Health campus. The trail is open to patients, family members and the overall community. 

Courtesy of Hugh Chatham Health

This is yet another way Hugh Chatham Health is striving to ensure that there’s no place like home for patients in and around Surry County. 

“For 25 years, Hugh Chatham Health and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist have invested in keeping cancer care local for this community,” Hettleman says. “It shows that rural health care can be strong, sustainable and deeply rooted in serving the people who live here.” 

For more information about Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, visit wakehealth.edu.