FORT SMITH -- Mercy broke ground Friday on a $41 million cancer center in Fort Smith.

The expansion of oncology services is an effort to increase access to cancer care for local patients, and it is being completed in collaboration with the Cherokee Nation, according to a news release from Mercy.

The new 40,000-square-foot cancer center will bring together Mercy Fort Smith's current oncology services, located at 7001 Rogers Ave., by moving radiation therapy and expanding infusion services. Plans include upgraded and additional linear accelerators, advanced radiation and imaging, additional infusion chairs and more, the release states.

The Cherokee Nation has contributed $8 million to the project, part of its larger initiative to improve cancer care access for its citizens and to provide

See Full Page