Mercy Washington Hosts Grand Re-Opening of Linear Accelerator | Mercy

April 9, 2024

WASHINGTON, Missouri - Mercy co-workers and leaders gathered for a ribbon cutting and blessing of the new linear accelerator at Mercy Hospital Washington. Mercy’s investment of $3 million for the new machine enables patients in the Franklin County and surrounding area to stay closer to home for radiation treatments.

“Having high quality care available close to home is a high priority at Mercy,” said Eric Eoloff, president of Mercy Washington Community. “The new linear accelerator installed here in Mercy Washington is an example of Mercy’s commitment to our patients in our service area.”

More than half of U.S. cancer patients receive radiation therapy and many of these treatments wouldn’t be possible without a linear accelerator.

“We appreciate our patients’ grace as some had to travel to Mercy St. Louis’ David C. Pratt Cancer Center for treatment during our upgrade,” said Dr. Robert Frazier, medical director of Mercy radiation oncology. “The new linear accelerator gives our cancer specialists the ability to treat cancer patients with pinpoint accuracy, sparing healthy tissue and all the while keeping them close to home.”

Linear accelerators aim radiation at cancer tumors using external beam radiation therapy including image-guided radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery. The machine helps treat cancers of the brain, spine, head and neck, lung, breast, esophagus, stomach, rectum, uterus, prostate, bladder, liver and bones. Using 3D image guidance, special software matches radiation beams to unique tumor sizes and shapes.

Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.