The University of Mississippi Medical Center has raised nearly $90 million for the construction of a new cancer center, an important step in Mississippi’s quest to gain a national designation that could improve outcomes for patients in the state with one of the nation’s highest cancer mortality rates, according to hospital leaders.
“What we don’t have in Mississippi is the gold standard kind of cancer program that is available in other places in the country,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the UMMC School of Medicine, during the Senate appropriations committee Wednesday.
The medical center is asking the state Legislature to appropriate $100 million to go toward the new building’s $250 million overall cost. The project also has the support of U.S. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker and U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, who are seeking approximately $40 million in federal funding for the cancer center, Woodward said. The remaining costs will be financed through bonds issued by the medical center.
The five-story building will be located on State Street across from the medical center and “bring together education, research and treatment under one roof,” according to the project’s fundraising website. The building will be adjacent to the American Cancer Center’s Jackson Hope Lodge, which provides a free place to stay to cancer patients and their families.
The new building is critical to the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute’s application for designation by the National Cancer Institute, a federal agency run by the National Institutes of Health, Woodward said. The institute recognizes cancer centers that meet rigorous requirements for laboratory and clinical research and translate scientific knowledge into innovative treatments for patients. It also provides training for the next generation of cancer-care professionals and performs outreach to the community.
There are 73 NCI designated centers nationwide, but none in Mississippi, Louisiana or Arkansas. Cancer patients in Mississippi seeking care at a designated center must travel to Alabama, Tennessee or Texas. The designation was first introduced in the 1970s as a part of a national initiative to increase Americans’ access to cutting-edge cancer treatment.
Achieving the designation will be a “long, heavy lift,” that could take up to a decade, Dr. Rodney Rocconi, the director of UMMC’s cancer center since 2023, previously told Mississippi Today. It will require the center to recruit faculty, expand its research capacity and demonstrate strong programming in community outreach and prevention.
Designated centers receive a support grant from the agency and have access to early clinical trials. Studies have shown that patients treated at NCI-designated centers have lower mortality rates than people treated at non-designated cancer centers.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Mississippi, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mississippi’s cancer death rate is 25% higher than the national average.
UMMC, the state’s only academic medical center, is the only institution in Mississippi capable of achieving NCI designation because a successful application requires a high level of research horsepower, Woodward said to the Senate appropriations committee Wednesday.
“It’s either us, or it doesn’t happen,” she said.
The state Legislature increased its appropriation for the cancer center to $9 million in 2024 – a nearly $5 million increase — to support research infrastructure, clinical trials and recruiting researchers.
The medical center is currently recruiting cancer researchers “as fast as we can,” Woodward said Wednesday.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center has sought National Cancer Institute designation since 2012, a process it then expected to take five years, the Jackson Free Press reported at the time.
UMMC has received several sizable donations for the cancer center, and donations have outpaced the medical center’s internal schedule, said Woodward. John and Sandy Black of Madison donated $25 million to support the new facility last January.
“The enthusiasm that we are meeting for this project is phenomenal,” Woodward said.
The medical center has discussed the application process with the National Cancer Institute, Woodward said. The institute will not give UMMC a pass on any requirements, but they have been “exceedingly encouraging” of Mississippi’s efforts, Woodward said.
“They know the need in the state.”
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