JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A dream since building in their new location in 2011, the Jamestown Regional Medical Center will soon be able to provide cancer services to the region.

High travel expenses and the need for cancer care pushed the Jamestown Regional Medical Center (JRMC) and its staff to work towards their goal of cancer care.

Chief Nursing Officer Trisha Jungels states that everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer. She says this has made an impact in the community.

The JRMC has partnered with the Roger Maris Cancer Center to provide oncology care.

JRMC Foundation Director Lisa Jackson says the cancer center is truly the communities and regions cancer center because of how much has been given to make it happen.

The $1.5 million capital cost was fully funded by the community.

In Stutsman County, cancer is the leading cause of death for individuals ages 45-84, according to the North Dakota Department of Health. More than 350 people in JRMC’s nine-county region are diagnosed with cancer each year. Those same people travel more than 200 miles round trip for chemotherapy infusions and other cancer treatments. This may be a monthly, weekly or even daily trip.

The hospital’s motto has always been “Miles Matter” and by opening this Cancer Center, the distance between care and the community has been closed.

The JRMC will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new cancer center on Thursday, June 13th at Noon. The event will be free and open to the public. The first patient will be seen on Monday, June 17th. The center expects to see more than 100 individuals receive cancer care each month in the center.

Listen to a full Let’s Talk About It with Trisha Jungels & Lisa Jackson below: