The medical center, which has served as Cass County’s hospital for nearly 60 years, has experienced significant growth in demand for its cancer, rheumatology and infusion services. Late last year, leaders from the organization met with local businessman and former Harrisonville mayor Bill Mills and asked him to consider a charitable investment in the future of cancer and rheumatology care at Cass Regional.
“The community has been so good to me and my family that it seemed a perfect way to give back when Cass Regional approached me about this project,” said Mills, who is the owner of Family Center Farm & Home stores.
Mills’ $250,000 gift to Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation will be used to underwrite construction of the new center, which will be built on the first floor of the hospital.
The present oncology/hematology, rheumatology, and infusion clinic area will expand from what is now known as the Specialists Clinic into the corridor that extends along the windows facing the Healing Garden.
Infusion capacity will expand from five bays to eight bays, and from two private infusion rooms to three rooms, one of which will be designated for patients requiring isolation.
Two new exam rooms will be added, increasing the number of rooms to six, and an additional shared provider office will be built. The space will also include an office for the patient navigator, who is a resource for newly-diagnosed cancer patients as they embark on their treatment journey.
Work on the new center is scheduled to begin later this month, with completion in the second half of 2023. The project will be done in phases so that patient care can continue uninterrupted.
Pictured, L-R: Katherine A. Collins, DNP, NP-C (oncology); Jaswinder Singh, MD (oncology); Kim Blankenship, RN, BSN, OCN (center manager); Bill Mills, Donor; Kevin Latinis, MD, PhD (rheumatology); Chris Lang, Cass Regional CEO; Hasan Bit-Shawish, MD (oncology); Moeid Riaz, FNP-C (oncology); Gina Accurso-Lee, MSN, APRN, FNP-C (rheumatology); and Sonya McLelland, Cass Regional Foundation director. Not pictured: Preethi Ramachandran, MD (oncology).
