Mercy Fort Smith breaks ground on $41 million cancer center

The response to a “plague on our community” that is cancer, which is faced by more than 5,000 in the Fort Smith medical service area, will be improved with Mercy Fort Smith’s new cancer center, according to Mercy oncologist Dr. Daniel Mackey.

Mackey was one of several Mercy Fort Smith and Cherokee Nation officials to speak Friday (Aug. 8) during a ceremonial groundbreaking for the estimated $41 million cancer center that will be attached to the hospital’s existing area for cancer services in Fort Smith.

Mackey said the medical service area includes a growing population of around 500,000 that makes it difficult for the healthcare sector to meet all needs.

“We’re dealing with the growing pains and the challenges of adjusting to the needs of the community,” Mackey told the large crowd gathered for the event. “So, what’s the solution? Mercy has partnered with HKS, a globally-recognized design firm for health care facilities, to design a totally new complex, a center for cancer care.”

He said benefits of the new center include a doubling of oncologists, new equipment such as linear accelerators, improvement in infusion services, more research opportunities, and a better “navigation” through the process for patients.

Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Arkansas Communities, said in his opening remarks that the more than two-year process was uncertain at times, with “several days along this journey that I didn’t think this day would ever come.”

Amy Fore, vice president of patient services for Mercy Arkansas Communities, said the new center will include 20,000 square feet of added space and the renovation of 15,000 square feet of existing space. Fore, who Gehrig credited for helping keep the project on track, said construction will begin immediately, and the new space should be fully open to patients by early 2027.

When the center is fully open, it is expected to expand from four oncologists to eight, and expand from eight advanced practice registered nurse oncologists to 12, Fore said. She said Mercy is actively recruiting surgical oncologists and hopes to have four on board when the center opens. Fore said the center is more than just a building, that it “represents access, dignity, and hope” for cancer patients.

Funds for the $41 million center include a $12 million matching grant from Arkansas’ portion of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) approved by Congress in 2021. The act was a $1.9 trillion emergency relief package designed to help states respond to economic and public health issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Arkansas received more than $1.573 billion in ARPA funds.

Fore said the St. Louis-based Mercy system matched the $12 million ARPA grant.

Mercy is not the only health care system to receive ARPA funds for cancer services. Little Rock-based Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute (CARTI) received $7 million in early 2024 to help complete a cancer center in El Dorado.

Another $8 million was donated in February by the Tahlequah, Okla.-based Cherokee Nation. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. told the crowd Friday the donation is an investment in a “forged friendship” between the Nation and Mercy.

“This investment is going to lead to better health care for this region,” Hoskin said. “It is going to take on an issue that affects every single one of us. We all right now know someone suffering with cancer. It might be us tomorrow. It might have been us last year. This will change the face of cancer care for this region, and you better believe the Cherokee Nation wants to be part of it.”

Also, the Mercy Health Foundation is in the process of raising $4.5 million to meet terms of a $2 million award from the Mabee Foundation.

According to the Arkansas Department of Health, cancer is the second leading cause of death in Arkansas behind heart disease. The most frequently diagnosed cancers in Arkansas are lung, colorectal, breast cancer among women, and prostate cancer among men.