The renovation of the Ascension Via Christi Cancer Center is now complete, giving Pittsburg-area patients who are battling cancer close-to-home access to advanced technology in a patient- and family-friendly environment.
The outpatient cancer center opened 26 years ago, funded entirely by donations to the Mount Carmel Foundation’s “Legacy of Hope” campaign.
The $1 million renovation also was funded entirely by
community donations, this time to the “Legacy of Hope II” campaign led by Johnna Norton, the foundation’s executive director.
“I am so proud to live and serve in such a giving community and with a team that throughout the pandemic has continued to provide exceptional care to our patients,” said Charlotte Russell, director of
operations for the Ascension Via Christi Cancer Center and Ascension Medical Group Via Christi physician practices in Pittsburg.
Through the community’s generosity, the chemotherapy area now has seven private treatment suites and the entire cancer center was updated to create a brighter and more welcoming environment. The patient and family resource room was also refurbished, providing a comfortable space for the patient and family education, nutritional counseling and spiritual and emotional support services.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital also made a significant investment in the cancer center, spending $1.5 million to acquire a new state-of-the-art TrueBeam linear accelerator, allowing patients to receive highly precise radiation therapy in a shorter period of time.
In January, the hospital added medical oncologists James Moore, MD, and Michael Cannon, MD, to its medical staff. Drs. Moore and Cannon, both with Cancer Center of Kansas, join medical oncologist Mickey Xun, MD, with Ascension Medical Group Via Christi, and radiation oncologist Duane Myers, MD, with Radiation Oncology Associates, in providing southeast Kansas residents ready access to comprehensive cancer care.
“We now have a beautiful space, an outstanding team of physicians and the advanced technology we need to continue our legacy as the community’s cancer care partner,” said Drew Talbott, president of
Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg. “Like Charlotte, I am tremendously grateful and proud of our community and staff.”
For more information about Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg, visit ascension.org/PittsburgKS.
About Ascension Via Christi
In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs nearly
6,400 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided nearly $89 million in community
benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2021. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years,
Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized
care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the
leading non-profit and Catholic health system in the U.S., operating more than 2,600 sites of care –
including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of
Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org.
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