Natchez Community to Benefit from Cancer Care Enhancements
Natchez, Miss. – Patients visiting Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Natchez will soon notice facility improvements over the next three months. The more than $300 thousand investment will focus on renovations that reflect the advanced care delivered to radiation therapy patients.
Within the facility, the aesthetics will emphasize a welcoming environment with warmer colors, new carpeting, flooring and furniture. The treatment area will also be remodeled to accommodate future technology. Outside of the facility, a new roof will be installed and other external improvements are underway. The overall internal aesthetic will also match that of Mary Bird Perkins’ other locations.
“We believe that a comfortable, healing environment is important to the overall patient experience,” said Todd Stevens, president and chief executive officer, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “Enhancing the physical surroundings will not only enrich the experience for patients and family members, but create a more functional workspace for radiation oncologist Dr. Gregory Cotter and the outstanding team in Natchez. Mary Bird Perkins’ is always striving to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer; this renovation is one of the ways that we are advancing this mission in southwest Mississippi.”
Mary Bird Perkins will also launch its Prevention on the Go program in Natchez in the first quarter of 2020. Prevention on the Go provides prevention and early detection education and screenings in locations where people live, work and play via its mobile medical unit, bringing these critical services closer to the individuals who need them most. Since 2002, the Cancer Center has provided more than 90,000 cancer screenings. Patients receiving an abnormal finding following a screening are navigated by a nurse to help determine appropriate next steps and guide them through the process.
“The sooner cancer is detected, the better the chances are for a favorable outcome,” said Dr. Cotter. “Mississippi’s cancer rates are similar to the rest of the country, but the disease is typically caught at later stages, which creates a situation where we must rely on more complicated and invasive treatments. Through Prevention on the Go, we’ll be able to diagnosis cancer in its earliest stages when more treatment options are available to patients and their physicians.”
About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for almost 50 years. The cancer care organization provides care at nine centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma, Gonzales, Zachary and Natchez, Mississippi, and its service area encompasses southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi regions. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.