Finally some good news about cancer with care close to home

Few of our families have not been touched by cancer. Nearly 40 percent of us will get it in our lifetimes.

So the decision to build a Siteman Cancer Center at Memorial Hospital East, rather than a second medical office building, is not especially surprising. It is certainly comforting and welcomed news.

Cancer treatment is expensive. The U.S. spends about $88 billion a year on cancer, and patients spend nearly $4 billion from their own pockets. Getting top cancer care close to home eases one of the stresses.

The center also represents a $38.3 million investment in health care infrastructure. It will bring highly-skilled, high-paying jobs. Those employees are likely to be community leaders in everything from local civic groups to local churches.

For this to come so quickly after BJC HealthCare announced it was accelerating its takeover of Memorial Hospital’s Belleville and Shiloh campuses is encouraging for the future.

The health of the local economy and our residents are both likely to improve.

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Finally some good news about cancer with care close to home."