Mississippi’s Cancer Problem: It’s About Time

Today, I’ll talk about a topic featured in several recent VC Notes and currently one of our top priorities – cancer.  

Did you know that Mississippi faces the highest cancer mortality rate in the nation? Too many families are losing loved ones to this disease.

Changing that reality is a priority, and our mission is clear: to improve cancer outcomes and ensure patients can receive world-class care without leaving Mississippi. 

On Monday, UMMC is launching the public phase of “It’s About Time: The Campaign for the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute,” a $125 million philanthropic effort that will help fund construction of a five-story, state-of-the-art home for the Medical Center’s cancer-related programs. Next week, Mississippians across the state will see commercials, ads and billboards promoting the campaign.

This new center will transform cancer care in Mississippi by bringing together patient care, expanded research capabilities and greater access to clinical trials, all in one place, right here at home. I invite you to look at renderings of the new building and learn more about the plans on the campaign website, abouttime.ms. Please take time to watch the touching video narrated by Morgan Freeman – it is truly inspiring! 

Over the past year our development team has been hard at work, and thanks to extraordinary generosity and momentum, our fundraising total is at $100 million — 80% of our goal! A significant gift will be revealed during a news conference Monday, showing the growing support for meeting the state’s need for advanced cancer care and research. 

We have reached this milestone because of donors who care deeply about the health and wellness of Mississippians today and well into the future. Jackson-based community and business leaders, Sandy and John Black, launched the campaign with a $25 million donation. They were joined by other families, foundations and corporations with a strong belief in Mississippi and in UMMC, resulting in gifts including $10 million from the Bower Foundation and $5 million from C Spire. Additional gifts will be revealed in the coming months, each with its own connection to cancer and the desire to help Mississippians receive the very best care right here at home. 

As this campaign grows, we are expanding our efforts in hopes all Mississippians will join us. This cancer center will move from the drawing board to its opening day with support throughout the state. We hope you join in, too.  

The name of this campaign — It’s About Time — carries deep meaning. At its heart, this campaign is about giving patients more time — time for life’s special moments, time with family, time that cancer too often tries to take away.  

It is also about time that we change Mississippi’s cancer story. It’s overdue.

Last month, I shared information in VC Notes about why National Cancer Institute designation is such an important mission not just for CCRI and the Medical Center but for the entire state. Building an advanced cancer center that integrates research and collaboration with the latest evidence-based treatments is essential to gaining NCI designation.  

These goals are ambitious, but they are within reach.  

I ask you to consider helping us reach our goal. If you want to and are able to make a contribution - any amount is appreciated and will have a life-changing impact on Mississippians with cancer. The link to give is here. 

Together, as Mississippians, working side by side, we can ensure that world-class cancer care is available close to home, a key part of Building a Healthier Mississippi.