Media Release

Contact: Dennis Mathis, Public Relations Coordinator, San Juan Regional Medical Center, 505-609-2238 or email dmathis@sjrmc.net

FARMINGTON, NM (August 20, 2008) The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted three year approval with commendation to the cancer program at San Juan Regional Cancer Center. The cancer center, which is part of San Juan Regional Medical Center, received the approval following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor. The CoC sets quality of care standards for cancer programs throughout the United States, and they review cancer programs to ensure they conform to those standards. To maintain approval, a cancer program must undergo an on-site review every three years.

San Juan Regional Cancer Center received the approval because they provide their patients with comprehensive cancer care, access to cancer related information, education and support, and quality care close to home. A new, larger cancer facility is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed by November 2008. The new facility will provide expanded services to cancer patients, including complementary therapies. The Bliss Cancer Resource Center, located in the new center, will provide patients and their families with a library of informative materials on cancer.

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients. Cancer patient data are reported by each CoC approved cancer program to a national database containing patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment and outcomes. The database currently contains information on more than 18 million patients.

San Juan Regional Cancer Center was founded in 1987.