Video: Partnership Increases Treatment Options For Cancer Patients

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) — It’s an announcement more than two years in the making.

NMMC is now part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Cancer Community Network.

That means NMMC has access to UAB’s cancer research, and patients in Northeast Mississippi won’t have to travel across state lines for treatments and other procedures.

“It will allow us to provide basically the same treatment here at home that they would receive driving out of state over to Birmingham and most everything we do can be performed here on site, or at the facility at the Tupelo hospital.,” said Beth Bryant, director of oncology services for NMMC.

For years, The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Care Center has led the way in groundbreaking research and patient care.

The director of the UAB Cancer Center says joining forces with NMMC made sense, especially with the rapidly changing healthcare system.

“The network allows us to learn from each other and to bring the best practices into the entire network, which of course is good for patients, it’s good for insurance companies, it’s good for hospitals, better for everybody,” said Dr. Ed Partridge, director of UAB’s Cancer Care Center.

Patients say they will see the most benefits from the partnership.

“Always come to Tupelo, you don’t have to go out of state, Alabama, everywhere else, come right here to Tupelo. I guarantee you , Doctor Sanders and Doctor Kellum will handle it,” said Minnie Harper, who is a cancer patient.

The NMMC Cancer Care Center is now one of 12 UAB Health System Cancer Community Network Associates throughout the southeast.