Las Vegas NowClosure of UMC's Cancer Treatment Center Causes Concern

Closure of UMC's Cancer Treatment Center Causes Concern

Activists fighting to keep UMC's cancer treatment program afloat held a meeting calling on community leaders and the private sector to help solve the crisis.

A petition is being sent around by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

This all comes after county commissioners unanimously voted to close the outpatient treatment program on Tuesday. Friday, those opposed to ending cancer treatment at UMC sounded off.

"It's not going to be just the breast caner patients. Nobody sees the ripple effect of this problem, they are just sweeping it under the rug."

Officials from UMC, healthcare workers and activists groups all say its going to be up to community leaders and doctors in the private sector to step up and ease some of the burden placed on UMC by taking some of the Medicaid and uninsured cancer patients off the hospitals hands.

Many are upset about the county commissioner unanimous vote to end the outpatient cancer treatment program.

Now they are petitioning UMC to keep the doors open past their December 31, 2008 deadline so they can come up with a solution to save the cancer treatment program.

Advocates say they need a short term solution to the long term problem, but they can't figure this out alone.

"We are looking at the state legislature and the governor. We need their help. We need a special session decision to be made and not just closing the doors come December 31st," said James Kilber with Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

UMC officials are holding onto hope that something will help them keep the cancer treatment program open past the deadline.

Medicaid cuts to UMC are going from the 5-percent cut announced on Tuesday to a 14-percent cut.

UMC officials say the bottom line is that there will be cutbacks in the high-risk obstetrics unit, mammography, outpatient kidney dialysis and the women's center, which provides prenatal care.

Officials at UMC say they are working to refer all of their patients to other doctors in the area to for treatment. Some doctors say they would treat uninsured cancers patients for free, but they can't afford to give them the drugs they need for treatment.