New Cancer Treatment Center Will Open In Ashland

A multi-million dollar cancer treatment center in the middle of rural far northern Wisconsin will open in a year and a half.

The center aims to give relief to people who have to otherwise make three-hour round-trips for care.

Janet Novak of Mellen was able to get chemotherapy in nearby Ashland: “But they don’t do radiation in Ashland, and I had to have five weeks of radiation.

Novak would end up driving to Duluth for treatment, about a hundred miles away. “There were days it took me three hours because there was heavy snow and not real good driving conditions,” said Novak.

Ashland Memorial Medical Center CEO Jason Douglas said too many people in small towns have to make long drives back and forth in less-than-ideal health or weather conditions.

“We really wanted to be able to provide this service close to home and assist patients at a very difficult time in their lives,” said Douglas.

Douglas said they’re partnering with Duluth’s Essentia Health to build a $12 million treatment center in Ashland. It will serve an area from Hayward to Ironwood and Chequamegon Bay. Besides financing, he said it’s also a challenge to get a full-time oncologist.

“It’s pretty rare to have a full-time oncologist at a smaller, rural critical access hospital,” said Douglas.

They already have an oncologist onboard. As for Janet Novak, she just started back to work last week and she’s cancer-free.

“I feel good,” said Novak. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t comeback.”

They’ll break ground on the new center in April.