Three health institutions join forces to bring world-renowned cancer care to Monroe, Michigan

Ann G. Schwartz, Ph.D. Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute MONROE, MI – Two hospital systems and one comprehensive cancer center are joining forces to bring world-renowned cancer services to Monroe, Michigan. Mercy Memorial Hospital System of Monroe (MMHS), ProMedica Health System of Toledo, and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit have announced a joint venture agreement which will bring innovative, state-of-the-science cancer care to Monroe and the surrounding communities. Each of the health institutions will be equal partners in the joint venture. The agreement, forming the company Monroe Cancer Center, LLC, was recently approved by each organization’s executive leadership. A groundbreaking for the new cancer center is expected to take place by early 2010. The official name of the new center has not yet been determined. The center will be located at 800 Stewart Road, part of the 110 acres owned by Mercy Memorial Hospital System, about a mile-and-a-half from the hospital campus. The 10,000 square-foot facility will include medical and radiation oncology. Currently, many cancer patients in the Monroe area travel outside their community to receive radiation therapy. The new cancer center will bring together excellent cancer care and the individualized, patient-targeted cancer therapy all under one roof. According to Annette Phillips, president and CEO, Mercy Memorial Hospital System, “A comprehensive cancer center in Monroe is a huge step forward for the patients and their families. The duration of radiation therapy and chemotherapy regimens typically continue for several weeks. It’s a difficult process for patients emotionally and physically. Their friends and families are often juggling work and family schedules to provide transportation to Toledo, Ann Arbor or Detroit. The new Monroe site provides the perfect combination of high quality cancer care close to home.” “ProMedica has been at the forefront of cancer treatment in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan for many years and is committed to providing world class cancer care in all of the communities we serve,” says Alan Brass, chief executive officer, ProMedica Health System. “This affiliation is an opportunity to further develop our partnership with Karmanos Cancer Center, and to expand our relationship with Mercy Memorial Hospital System.” The total investment for the new cancer center is approximately $5 million as of press release time. The estimated staff needed for the radiation oncology area, which will be administered by the Karmanos Cancer Center, will be approximately seven full-time positions. Another full-time physician and a team of registered nurses, medical assistants, and laboratory staff will be needed for the medical oncology area, administered by Toledo Clinic Hematology/Oncology Group. Toledo Clinic will work in partnership with ProMedica and MMHS.

“We’re proud to be one of only 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country,” said Ann Schwartz, Ph.D., interim president and CEO, Karmanos Cancer Institute. “We have very high standards in cancer care and it’s that level of excellence that we share with our patients. We’re happy to be teaming up with Mercy Memorial and ProMedica to provide world-renowned cancer treatment to residents of Monroe and surrounding communities.” Groundbreaking for the new cancer center is expected to take place by early 2010. The center is targeted to open within one year following.

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1. Three health institutions join forces to bring world-renowned cancer care to Monroe, Michigan