The cancer program at Mid Coast Hospital (MCH) received a three-year accreditation with commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. A national organization, the CoC is a team of experts dedicated to improving the quality of life for cancer patients.

With the new accreditation, MCH joins an elite group of just 30 percent of hospitals in the U.S. that have voluntarily achieved this status. The commendation level of compliance is a special designation that indicates that the program not only met, but also exceeded benchmarks that represent the full scope and quality of cancer care available.

The cancer care program at MCH includes preventive care, treatment program and educational resources that are offered in collaboration with Maine Center for Cancer Medicine, the American Cancer Society, and other community partners. The program focuses on coordination among providers and specialists through all phases of cancer treatment and recovery, as well as integration with other cancer programs throughout the state to allow for a seamless transition of care.

Receiving care at a CoC-accredited cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to: quality care close to home, comprehensive care with state-of-the-art services and equipment, a multi-specialty team approach to coordinate the best treatment options available, information about cancer clinical trials and new treatment options, access to cancer-related information, education and support, ongoing monitoring and improvement of care and lifelong patient follow-up through a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results.