Mercy Health-Springfield now affiliated with Ohio State cancer center

Partnership will provide access to specialist and expertise services, allow patients to receive them close to home.

Mercy Health-Springfield’s affiliation with the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is expected to provide more comprehensive treatment to local patients diagnosed with cancer.

Representatives of the hospital network, that includes Springfield Regional Medical Center and the Urbana Hospital, say that the affiliation will provide physicians and patients access to specialist and expertise associated with OSUCCC-James.

The affiliation will also allow patients in Clark and Champaign counties to stay close to home when accessing those services, according to a news release from Mercy Health.

The release stated that Mercy Health-Springfield’s Cancer Center will work with OSUCCC-James to collaborate and develop ways to offer survivorship and cancer genetic services via a telehealth platform.

“Mercy Health-Springfield and the OSUCCC-James are creating a sophisticated collaboration that offers enhanced benefits to our patients,” said Adam Groshans, the president of Mercy Health-Springfield. “We are proud to be partnering with such a respected name in cancer care and believe that together we can make a difference in the lives of those who are battling this disease.”

William Farrar, MD, the CEO at the OSUCCC-James said that “expanding access to high-quality cancer care and clinical trials while minimizing the travel burden for patients and families is a priority at the OSUCCC-James.”

“We know that through this collaboration with Mercy Health-Springfield, more patients in Clark and Champaign counties will have access to the most innovative and state-of-the-art cancer treatments and research available. There is nothing more important to us than curing cancer, and this new affiliation enables us to expand the scope of cancer care into the community while extending our shared vision of creating a cancer-free world,” Farrar added.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death nationwide and Ohio is among the nation’s leaders in both cancer rates and cancer-related mortality, according to the release from Mercy Health.

In Clark County between 2012-2016, an average of 845 new invasive cancer cases and 350 deaths occurred each year, the release added.

The affiliation with OSUCCC-James is part of a larger alliance between the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, a world-class, academic medical center and Mercy Health, according to representatives of Mercy Health.

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