Hannibal (Mo.) Regional Healthcare System has received $15 million in state funds to expand services and build a new cancer center in Kirksville, Mo., it announced July 2.
The health system has provided care in the Kirksville area since 2017, but since then, has identified an increased need for cancer care — particularly after other providers in the area stopped providing some oncology services locally, like radiation, Hannibal Regional President and CEO Todd Ahrens, told the Hannibal Courier Post.
Lacking those services, some patients have had to travel 90 miles or more to Colombia, Mo., for care, which prompted the new center's development plans.
The new cancer center will sit on a plot of 200 acres, and intends to house advanced medical treatment to fill the gap created by other providers that ceased some oncology services in the area.