FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2008

St. Louis Cancer & Breast Institute Joining St. John’s Mercy

The St. Louis Cancer & Breast Institute is aligning with St. John’s Mercy effective November 1, 2008. The Institute’s physicians and employees will become part of St. John’s Mercy. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Institute was formed by six independent physicians practicing in the St. Louis community who came together with the desire to create a place where women and men would receive comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services for breast disease and various types of cancer. That desire grew into the St. Louis Cancer & Breast Institute, the first free-standing cancer center in St. Louis, which opened its doors in 1999. Since then, the physician-owned Institute has grown to three locations, with 10 physicians and 55 employees. St. Louis Cancer & Breast Institute’s s ervices include surgical oncology, medical oncology and radiation oncology. This multidisciplinary approach provides not only for the patients’ physical and clinical needs, but also their psychological and spiritual needs. Social services and support groups round out the services that are available. The Institute remains one of the leading cancer treatment centers in the St. Louis area.

Denny DeNarvaez, president and chief executive officer of St. John’s Mercy, said the Institute “enriches St. John’s Mercy’s capabilities to serve patients with cancer, particularly women with breast cancer. The group’s reputation for quality and patient satisfaction is an excellent fit that complements other St. John’s Mercy physicians and services.” St. John’s Mercy Medical Center has a comprehensive Breast Center on its Creve Coeur campus and mammography screening centers throughout the community. In partnership with the Institute, St. John’s Mercy will explore opportunities for expanding cancer services to other geographic locations.

Diane Radford, M.D., FACS, FRCS(Ed), Executive Manager of the St. Louis Cancer & Breast Institute, said “the affiliation with St. John’s Mercy enables our center to reach more women and offer more advanced diagnostic and treatment options. Integrating with St. John’s Mercy provides opportunities for closer collaboration with the many physician specialists of St. John’s Mercy and its David C. Pratt Cancer Center.”

St. Louis Cancer & Breast Institute’s three locations are in Creve Coeur, Des Peres and south St. Louis City. The Institute’s physicians are major clinical supporters of Gateway to Hope, which provides care for women with breast cancer who are underinsured or uninsured, and the Institute was instrumental in forming the St. Louis Cancer Foundation, which promotes evidence-based models of integrative cancer care through support of clinical research, health education and prevention initiatives.

The David C. Pratt Cancer Center, located on the St. John’s Mercy Medical Center campus, provides a full spectrum of cancer care, including advanced diagnostic and treatment services; a clinical research program, and education, outreach and support resources. Cancer services are approved by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, a distinction given to only one in five health care facilities in the country.

St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, a member of St. John’s Mercy Health Care and the Sisters of Mercy Health System, is a 979-bed comprehensive teaching hospital, drawing health care professionals from across the nation who specialize in nearly every clinical specialty. St. John’s Mercy Health Care also operates St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Washington, Mo., St. John’s Mercy Medical Group, St. John’s Mercy Affiliated Physicians and St. John’s Mercy Health Services.

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