MURRAY, KY – For those in a battle with cancer, the ringing of a bell signifies a great accomplishment. It means the end of a tough chapter of chemotherapy and/or radiation and the beginning of a new one.

Cancer patients traditionally ring a bell in the cancer center at the conclusion of their cancer treatment. Ringing the bell is an emotional and triumphant celebration of all the patient has accomplished – conquering fear, persevering through uncertainty, enduring adversity and hardship, and hanging on to hope with strength and a strong will to live.

When patients ring the bell at the MCCH Regional Cancer Center, they celebrate this tremendous milestone with the knowledge that they have their team at the MCCH Cancer Center to see them through survivorship.

Murray-Calloway County Hospital recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Regional Cancer Center following the completion of the $15 million facility. With Kentucky facing the highest rates of overall cancer incidence and death in the United States, and leading the nation in lung and colorectal cancer, this new center is an important step in caring for patients with cancer.

The new cancer center brings innovations to the fight against cancer close to home. Thousands of patients will be cared for annually by a multidisciplinary team of specialists and sub-specialists to meet the challenges presented by many types of cancer.

The Cancer Program at Murray-Calloway County Hospital is accredited by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS).

Receiving care at a CoC-accredited cancer program ensures the patient will have access to comprehensive care, a multi-specialty team approach to coordinate best treatment options, information about ongoing clinic trials, access to cancer-related information and support, a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results with lifelong patient follow-up, ongoing monitoring and improvement of care and, most importantly, quality care close to home.