For Immediate Release

Contact:

Laura Blodgett

734-712-4536

Laura.Blodgett@stjoeshealth.org

June 12, 2018

Community invited to interact with cancer experts, tour Radiation Oncology unit and view new linear accelerator

BRIGHTON, Mich. (June 12, 2018) – St. Joseph Mercy Brighton Cancer Center will host members of the community at a National Cancer Survivors Month celebration on Tuesday, June 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Together, attendees will honor the strength and courage of all cancer survivors, while remembering friends and family that have passed. The gathering will include a tour of the Radiation Oncology unit, and the unveiling of a new Varian True Beam® Linear Accelerator, a fully-integrated system that offers image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery. The machine, which replaces an older model, can treat cancer anywhere in the body where radiation treatment is indicated, including in the lung, breast, prostate, head and neck.

The celebration will take place inside St. Joseph Mercy Brighton Cancer Center, located at 7575 Grand River in Brighton, and will include a short program with opening remarks, a blessing of the new space and a ribbon cutting with the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with St. Joe's medical experts and learn more about comprehensive cancer services including clinical trials, genetic counseling, oncology social work and pastoral care available in Livingston County.

The St. Joe's Brighton Cancer Center has cared for area residents living with cancer since its opening more than twelve years ago. The unveiling of the new linear accelerator will ensure that comprehensive cancer care remains available close to home, in the Livingston community, for decades to come.

The linear accelerator is part of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System's $41 million transformation investment into Livingston County.

These investments include:

• St. Joe's Brighton: A new 24/7 Short Stay Center with 18 private rooms and 6 private bays, new Breast Imaging Center, new operating room, expanded Specialty Center, new Joe's Java Café, expanded food options and gift shop, Emergency Department rapid treatment program and pediatric telemedicine technologies for the Emergency Department.
• St. Joe's Livingston: A new surgical suite with three advanced operating rooms, da Vinci® Si robotic surgery system, Sleep Disorder Center, Joe's Java Café, cafeteria and gift shop.

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About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 16,200 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $1.9 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 97,000 people, has annual operating revenues of about $15.8 billion and assets of about $23.4 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.