Bringing Cancer care closer to home

Your Partner for Health

For over 55 years, Western Missouri Medical Center has provided the community with compassionate, quality care, and has been dedicated to meeting the growing healthcare needs of the community.

Quality of care is WMMC’s top priority, having received several certifications including certifications for Level III Center for Stroke, Trauma and STEMI, the Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and hip replacement, and Gold Standard of Accreditation in computed tomography.

Today, area residents rely on our expertise in the moments they need it most, and they deserve the best technology available. It is with that same dedication we are now embarking on a project to bring advanced cancer care to our community. This project will help people like Wendy Buzzanga, who received treatment for Breast Cancer at Western Missouri Medical Center. Learn more about Wendy’s journey.

This is a project to:

DETECT

Cancer with enhanced equipment.

DIAGNOSE

The type and stage of cancer with improved technology.

DEFINE

The best treatment regimen available.

We’re your Partner for all stages of life.

The WMMC Foundation has launched “Advancing Cancer Care, Closer to Home” campaign to raise $330,000 to purchase equipment that will benefit the patients and families in our greater community.

Give Towards the Cause

Continued population growth, demographic changes in the region, and the desire of the community to seek health care services close to home are driving the need for new technology at WMMC. We must continually bring the latest technology to its facilities so we can continue to provide the level of care that patients deserve and demand as well as attract highly skilled health care professionals to our community.

Your financial support is necessary in order for Western Missouri Medical Center to answer the call—the call to meet the growing healthcare needs of your family, friends and neighbors.

“The generosity of area residents will enable the WMMC Foundation to continue its support of the hospital and specifically address the cancer challenge. Together, we make a difference,” says Dee Hudson, Foundation President.

Click on the “Enter Payment” button to continue with your donation. If you would like to leave a donation in honor or memory of a loved one, please leave a note in the comment section above.

Endobronchial Ultrasound Bronchoscopy (EBUS)

With the recent addition of low-dose CT screenings, the only preventative screening available for lung cancer, the EBUS is the next pivotal advancement to diagnosis and treat lung cancer. Currently, patients have to travel to the city to receive this type of cancer treatment, which can mean extra time spent away from family and friends in order to travel for care.

An EBUS procedure is minimally invasive but a highly effective procedure used to diagnose and stage lung cancer, infections and other diseases causing enlarged lymph nodes in the chest. Prior to this technology, patients would need to have a highly invasive surgery to achieve similar results, required hospitalization, more risk and recovery time.

Radioactive Navigator

Surgeons can find it difficult to locate all of the cancerous tissue in tumors and lymph nodes within the human body. Currently to locate and remove cancerous cells, doctors may have to do more surgery than necessary to make sure the cells were fully removed, resulting in longer surgery times and even longer healing time for the patient.

The Navigator allows the surgeon to identify these specific nodes by injecting the patient with a tracer the navigator can identify. Through the various readings, the surgeon can determine what lymph nodes are the most important in determining drainage from the tumor. This makes for more accurate surgery incisions, faster healing times, and decreased complications for the patient.

Portable Ultrasound Machine

Ultrasound machines are often used to diagnose, monitor, and treat multitudes of medical problems from gallstones to cancer. With the current out-dated ultrasound, long wait times and limited space determines how many patients physicians can see daily, and could inconvenience patients by forcing them to go to another facility farther from home.

The light and compact design of a Portable Ultrasound Machine saves time by allowing providers to see more patients needing diagnosis as well as providing patients with convienent and shorter wait times. This machine will provide the same high quality imagery as a stationary ultrasound at a lower price tag.

Family Comfort Suites

The Family Comfort Suites will provide an overnight option for families to be close to their loved one while receiving care, especially those who are critical, arrive unexpectedly or near end of life. WMMC makes it a priority to provide a patient-friendly, healing environment – this includes their family. Often times these patients need extra attention from nurses, doctors, and their families. However, these moments that need family support can cause stress for the family, including staying offsite and possibly being absent during critical moments.

These two suites will include a bed and a full bathroom with a shower, and have access to a private dining area to sit down and have a quiet meal. They will function as space where the family can have privacy to rest and recover while remaining close to their loved one in their time of need.