Public invited to tour Blessing Cancer Center Hannibal on Wednesday

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The public is invited to tour the Blessing Cancer Center Hannibal on Wednesday, Nov. 29. A ribbon cutting will be held at 4 p.m., with tours of the new facility offered until 6 p.m. The Blessing Cancer Center Hannibal is located inside the south entrance to the Blessing Health Hannibal campus.

The center is in the same building as other Blessing Health Hannibal providers, as well as lab and imaging services.

Since opening the cancer center in mid-September, the staff has conducted approximately 50 new patient consults and experienced more than 420 established patient visits, 600 lab draws, 160 chemotherapy treatments and 700 other infusions, injections and port maintenance visits.

The design of the new treatment and provider office areas focuses on patient privacy and comfort. The center houses:

• The Blessing Health Hannibal medical oncology/hematology team of Dr. Arif Bari, Dr. M. Ishaqe Memon and nurse practitioner Amanda Jennings;
• registration/scheduling specialists, oncology and chemotherapy certified nursing teams, patient navigators, dieticians, social workers, palliative care team, and clinical researchers;
• a dedicated lab draw area for cancer center patients;
• new infusion center for chemotherapy and other specialty infusions and injections;
• a healing garden for those patients choosing to receive their infusion treatments outdoors;
• an appearance center with wigs, scarves, and adaptive garments for oncology patients.

Open house attendees will see the location of the new Blessing Health Hannibal retail pharmacy, located adjacent to the cancer center entrance. No tours will be available, since the retail pharmacy will open to Blessing Health Hannibal patients after the first of the year. The retail pharmacy will allow patients to pick up medications their provider prescribed during their appointment before leaving the building. The pharmacy will serve as a pickup site for prescriptions filled by the new Blessing Health specialty pharmacy.

Access to the retail pharmacy increases the likelihood patients will take their medication as prescribed. National statistics show as many as 30 percent of medication prescriptions are never filled. Taking medications as prescribed can help a patient recover more quickly and completely or better manage a chronic condition.

The Blessing Health Hannibal retail pharmacy will offer market-based pricing and accept all insurances after an initial contracting period. It will be open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. after the first of the year.

For more information about the services at the Blessing Cancer Center Hannibal, call 573-231-3800.