CoxHealth, Mercy receive $5M grant for joint cancer program

A joint project run by CoxHealth and Mercy Hospital Springfield has received a $5 million community oncology research grant from the National Cancer Institute.

The grant funds the Ozarks Regional Community Clinical Oncology Program, aka Cancer Research of the Ozarks, which is one of 64 such programs in the U.S., according to a news release.

“This grant means we can continue making a difference in the lives of cancer patients in our service areas of the Ozarks, St. Louis and parts of Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas,” said Jay Carlson, principal investigator of CRO, in the release. “For many cancer patients throughout the Ozarks region, being a part of a CRO research trial in the past has saved their lives, enhanced their quality of life or extended life in a meaningful way.  

"Because of CRO, most patients do not need to travel to other states to participate in clinical trials.”

The National Cancer Society originally established CRO in 1987 via grant funds, according to the release.