The University of Mississippi Medical Center broke ground Thursday on a cancer center officials say will help improve outcomes for patients in a state with some of the nation’s highest cancer mortality rates.
The new building is critical to the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute’s goal of achieving National Cancer Institute designation, which could expand Mississippians’ access to cutting-edge clinical trials and treatment options, officials said.
“We have a real problem here in Mississippi with cancer outcomes,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, the medical center’s vice chancellor for health affairs, at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Mississippians need the highest level of cancer care and access to the latest clinical trials right here at home.”
Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayThe 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 site is adjacent to the American Cancer Society’s Jackson Hope Lodge, which provides free lodging to cancer patients and their caregivers.
The National Cancer Institute is a part of the National Institutes of Health and recognizes cancer centers that meet rigorous requirements for laboratory and clinical research and translate scientific knowledge into innovative treatments for patients.
There are 74 NCI-designated centers nationwide, but none in Mississippi, Louisiana or Arkansas. Cancer patients in Mississippi seeking care at a designated center must travel out of state to receive care. Nearby states with NCI-designated centers include Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.
If the cancer center achieves this designation, it will not only serve Mississippi families, but also people in neighboring states, Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday.
“We’re working to save lives well beyond our borders,” Reeves said.
Gov. Tate Reeves speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodaySpeakers at the groundbreaking ceremony praised Woodward for her work advocating for the cancer center, noting the accomplishment is a fitting capstone to her more than four decades at UMMC. Woodward announced Oct. 15 that she plans to retire in June 2027. Dr. Alan Jones, the medical center’s associate vice chancellor for health affairs, will succeed her.
Jones said the achievement of NCI designation will take time.
“But we will achieve it, and we will change the outcomes of cancer patients,” he said. “That is our promise.”
Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayFunding for the center has been drawn from state and federal sources and private donors. Reeves in April signed legislation appropriating $100 million in state funds to build the cancer center.
Mississippi’s congressional delegation has supported the appropriation of $22 million in federal funds toward cancer research labs and the new cancer center building, and UMMC has requested $16 million in federal support for the project for the upcoming fiscal year, Woodward said.
John and Sandy Black of Madison donated $25 million to support the new facility in 2025. The medical center has raised more than 80% of its $125 million capital campaign goal, according to a press release.
A new building is just one piece of the medical center’s efforts to gain the designation. Dr. Rodney Rocconi, the director of UMMC’s cancer center, previously told Mississippi Today that achieving it will require the center to recruit faculty, expand its research capacity and demonstrate strong programming in community outreach and prevention.
Audience members including Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney listen as Gov. Tate Reeves speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayCancer is the second-leading cause of death in Mississippi, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease disproportionately affects Black Mississippians, who in 2022 had a 13% higher cancer mortality rate than white residents, according to a 2025 report by the Mississippi State Department of Health.
Only six counties in Mississippi fall below the national average of 143 cancer deaths per 100,000 people, according to 2020-2024 data from the National Cancer Institute. Some counties, including Humphreys, Tunica and Issaquena — all located in the Mississippi Delta — have death rates nearly twice as high as the national average.
Eddie Moore, 44, of Clinton, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 and given a prognosis of three months to live. He is still receiving treatment at UMMC.
He said Thursday he is grateful for the treatment he has received at UMMC and believes the construction of a new cancer center will help more people like him.
“It’s a hope for the future,” he said.
Participants break ground during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayHouse Speaker Jason White, R-West, speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayU.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith confer during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodaySandy and John Black speak during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayAudience members including Dr. Dan Jones, center, listen as Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayDr. Rodney Rocconi, director of the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute, speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayU.S. Rep. Michael Guest speaks during the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayHence then, the article about ummc s new cancer center aims to expand access to life saving care in mississippi was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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