WVU Cancer Institute brings scalp-cooling service to regional sites

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Patients receiving treatment at the WVU Cancer Institute's regional sites will now have access to a new service that may help reduce hair loss.

In the past three months, the Cancer Institute has distributed 12 Cooler Heads Amma scalp-cooling units to six of its 17 regional sites, including WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, Princeton Community Hospital, Thomas Memorial Hospital in Charleston, United Hospital Center in Bridgeport, and Wheeling Hospital. The service also is offered at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center in Morgantown. 

Patients undergoing chemotherapy have a risk of temporary or permanent hair loss. Scalp-cooling units help mitigate that risk by lowering the temperature of the scalp to reduce blood flow and limit the effects of chemo on hair follicles, preserving more hair.  

While some shedding is normal, the cooling system helps to make hair loss less noticeable by distributing it across the scalp as evenly as possible. 

As part of this service, patients are fitted with a custom scalp-cooling cap that is used throughout their treatment. The cap is connected to a small, portable cooling unit (about the size of a rolling cooler) that circulates a chilled solution to cool the scalp while the patient receives chemotherapy.  

The cooling process starts approximately 30 minutes prior to their chemotherapy infusion and concludes two to three hours after their infusion is complete.  

The advanced scalp-cooling units were made possible through the generous support of donors. More than $278,000 was raised during the WVU Cancer Institute’s “Fund the Mission” campaign, held in conjunction with its Annual Gala, to purchase the systems for use across the Institute’s network.  

The gifts were made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of WVU and its affiliated entities. 

“Thanks to the generosity of donors, we are able to offer this service to more patients who are going through an incredibly challenging time in their lives,” Mark Smith, assistant vice president of Oncology Services at the WVU Cancer Institute, said. 

“These cooling systems, which will soon be available at all of our regional sites, provide a treatment alternative that may help with hair loss, which also reduces some of the anxiety patients have during treatment.” Patients receiving care at a WVU Cancer Institute regional location who are interested in the scalp-cooling service are encouraged to contact the site directly to learn whether this service is currently available.  

The scalp-cooling service may be covered by insurance, and self-pay options are available to those without coverage. Earlier this year, West Virginia became the third state in the nation to require health insurance providers to pay for this treatment.  

In March, the West Virginia Legislature passed the Jessica Huffman Bill (House Bill 4089) which applies to several types of insurance plans, including state employee insurance, Medicaid-related plans, HMOs, and other private health insurance policies.  

Huffman, who is a nurse and serves as vice president of system nursing strategy at WVU Medicine, lost her hair during treatment for breast cancer and became a passionate advocate for coverage of these services to help patients retain a sense of normalcy for themselves and their families.  

Coverage will apply to plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. Insurers may still apply standard cost-sharing such as deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance. Since the passage of this bill, Maryland passed similar legislation, and both Ohio and Pennsylvania have bills under consideration.  

Additional cooling systems will be delivered to the Elkins Corridor Medical Center; Fairmont Medical Center; Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Maryland; Grant Memorial Hospital in Petersburg; Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser; Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale; Roane General Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon; Summersville Regional Medical Center, Uniontown Hospital, and Weirton Medical Center beginning in July and continuing through November. 

For more information on the WVU Cancer Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Cancer.