Contact: Jill Holder

(click photo to enlarge)
Representatives from Mary Chiles Hospital, UK Markey Cancer Center and UK's Department of Radiation and Kentucky Clinic Mt. Sterling Cancer Treatment Center cut ribbon at the grand opening.

“The University of Kentucky has developed a national reputation for the care of patients with cancer. Mary Chiles Hospital is excited about working with the University of Kentucky to bring these outstanding services closer to the patients we serve.”

-- Patrick Romano,
CEO,
Mary Chiles Hospital

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2004) -- A grand opening was held today for the new Kentucky Clinic Mt. Sterling Cancer Treatment Center. The state-of-the-art outpatient cancer facility, located at 129 Stone Trace Drive in Mt. Sterling, is a collaborative effort of Mary Chiles Hospital, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center and UK’s Department of Radiation Medicine. Patients in Mt. Sterling and surrounding communities now will be able to receive treatment closer to home. The center is one of several facilities where UK has partnered with local hospitals. Including Mt. Sterling, the University of Kentucky offers outpatient radiation oncology services in Berea, Georgetown, Maysville and Morehead.

“When a patient is ill, the drive to and from Lexington can seem twice as long as it actually is,” said Mohammed Mohiuddin, M.D., professor and chair of the Departments of Radiation Medicine and Diagnostic Radiology, UK College of Medicine. “We’re trying to bring the treatment closer to the patients.”

“The University of Kentucky has developed a national reputation for the care of patients with cancer,” said Patrick Romano, CEO, Mary Chiles Hospital. “Mary Chiles Hospital is excited about working with the University of Kentucky to bring these outstanding services closer to the patients we serve.”

The 3,000-square-foot brick building features a linear accelerator, a simulator, a mold room, exam rooms and offices.

The accelerator, which is housed in a cement vault with 8-foot-thick walls, treats tumors with an external beam of radiation. Patients are prepared for treatment in the simulator, where X-rays of the tumor are taken and a special computer system is used to plan the patient’s treatment. As many as 35 patients will be treated per day at the center, which will be staffed by a radiation medicine physician, a radiation therapist, and a receptionist.

For more information about the Kentucky Clinic Mt. Sterling Cancer Treatment Center, call (859) 498-9992 or (888) 498-9992.