“We aren’t just concerned about cancer in Iowa City but also across the state,” University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson said during an Oct. 8 Iowa Board of Regents meeting.

The special meeting, held over Zoom, included the Iowa Board of Regents, Wilson, CEO of University of Iowa Health Care Bradley Haws, and Vice President of Medical Affairs at UIHC Denise Jamieson.

The meeting was held to approve the $280 million deal between UIHC and Mission Cancer + Blood (Mission). Originally started in 1981, Mission’s goal is to provide cancer care to Iowans across the state, and it mainly focuses on rural areas where accessible medical care is dwindling or non-existent.

Iowa is currently ranked second in the nation for highest cancer rates, behind Kentucky. It is also a state, along with Virginia, where rates are increasing.

“By joining forces with Mission Cancer + Blood, we believe that we can bring the highest quality cancer care closer to home for all Iowans,” Jamieson said.

Mission has 22 locations across the state, with 19 physicians and over 135 nursing and professional staff members. Currently, there are five core Mission clinics in the Des Moines area and 17 outreach clinics in smaller areas across the state. Oskaloosa, Grinnell, Albia, and Pella are just a few of the areas with outreach clinics.

The clinics cover around 1.5 million Iowans, roughly half of the state. With the new partnership, more Iowans will get the care they need — especially citizens of rural areas.

Bradley Hiatt, a physician who has been with Mission for around 20 years, explained the importance of the partnership to Iowans.

“Statistics show about 21,000 Iowans are going to be diagnosed with cancer this year, and about 6,100 are going to lose their life to that battle. I think the only way we’re going to get those rates down is all together,” Hiatt said.

Some services the organization offers in its locations are on-site chemotherapy infusions, lab tests, clinical trials, and more oncology care.

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“The amazing thing about both entities coming together is that none of our trials overlap. We really are expanding the access for everybody,” said Mission CEO Phil Stover.

The deadly disease hits close to home for many Iowans, and with UIHC partnering with the group, many families will not have to face the burden of going to a larger medical center or hospital for their care.

“It’s a lot easier for myself and my staff to go to a community and see those individuals, rather than all of those individuals and their families take time off work and come to see us in Des Moines,” Hiatt said.

Haws also stressed the thought that went into the partnership from an economic standpoint.

“We have done significant financial, operational, and regulatory reviews. We engaged an independent appraiser to determine the fair market value of the transaction,” Haws said. “We believe that all of these align and that the combined benefit of UI Health Care and the mission group will provide great value to the citizens of Iowa.”

Since the $280 million deal passed, many community members and employees of UIHC have chimed in with their excitement. Jamieson read off an email she received from an oncology nurse after the deal was announced to UIHC leadership.

“I’ve been with UI Health Care oncology for 20 years as a nurse, a patient educator, nurse leader, a patient, a family member, a friend, and neighbor to many who have sought oncology care here. The weight has been heavy that we have not been providing all the care they deserve,” Jamieson read.

A similar weight was felt during the board meeting, with Board Member Nancy Dunkel sharing a personal story about what this partnership means for her and her family.

“We need to do everything we can. I just want to thank you for this journey, because that’s why I strongly support this,” Dunkel said.

This new partnership aims to bring communities and patients’ families to the forefront of their medical care.

“We want to provide care to the Iowans who need it, and we want to provide care in Iowa to Iowans by Iowans,” Jamieson said.