Four hospitals in the Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA) have committed an additional $2 million to expanding treatment options for cancer patients throughout the region and providing access to cutting-edge clinical trials to patients as close to home as possible.
For the last several years, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Stormont-Vail HealthCare, Truman Medical Centers and The University of Kansas Hospital have each contributed $500,000 per year as part of the regional effort to obtain National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation for The University of Kansas Cancer Center.
The majority of this funding has been invested at the partner institutions in joint research initiatives and clinical research infrastructure to improve cancer research and care throughout the region. The University of Kansas Cancer Center was awarded NCI designation in July.
Today, the four hospitals announced that they were increasing their annual commitment to $1 million each.
Headquartered at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, MCA is an 18-member network of hospitals, physicians groups, research institutions and cancer support and patient advocacy organizations working to advance cancer research, improve access to cancer resources and clinical trials and enhance networking among cancer care professionals.
The MCA is the outreach arm of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, working to ensure that new discoveries and therapies are available to patients across the region.
“These hospitals have been crucial partners in our pursuit of National Cancer Institute designation. We could not have achieved it without them,” said Roy A. Jensen, M.D., director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center and CEO of the Midwest Cancer Alliance. “Now that the NCI has given its stamp of approval to one of the best cancer research efforts in the country, our efforts to eliminate the burden of cancer will only intensify. We are grateful to Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Stormont-Vail HealthCare, Truman Medical Centers and The University of Kansas Hospital for helping to lead the way.”
“I know what it means when a family is directly impacted by cancer. That’s one reason why the Midwest Cancer Alliance is the most important regional initiative I have been a part of,” said Gary Sherrer, the MCA’s founding chair. “Patients will benefit, thanks to these hospital partners devoting even more resources to this crucial regional effort.”
Over the last four years, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics has focused on bone marrow transplant studies, drug development and understanding the needs of pediatric cancer survivors.
In addition to offering clinical trials initiated by scientists at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, Stormont-Vail HealthCare has been developing a research project to evaluate the impact of a community-based palliative care program.
Truman Medical Centers has worked to enhance its clinical trials infrastructure and increase access to clinical trials for communities that experience health disparities.
The University of Kansas Hospital has been a clinical partner of The University of Kansas Cancer Center since its inception and supports the Cancer Center through the MCA structure and through other commitments.
