Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, affecting millions of Americans every year. About one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime.
In conjunction with the American Academy of Dermatology's SPOT me® screening program, Saint Francis Healthcare System will offer free skin cancer screenings on Saturday, May 10, from 8 am to noon at Cape Radiation Oncology, located at Entrance 6 of Saint Francis Medical Center.
Screenings will be provided by Richard Limbert, DO; Amy Willingham, PA; and Jessica Miller, NP, with Advanced Dermatology of Southeast Missouri. Patients who have been seen at Advanced Dermatology within the past three years are asked to continue care through the office, not through the free screening program.
An appointment is required. To schedule, please call 573-331-5784.
Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our Mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy.
Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 306-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 3,000 employees and more than 250 providers in ten communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.
Mercy is now able to care for more patients in Stoddard County and surrounding areas with the addition of a new primary care physician.
Dr. Natasha Ware has joined Mercy Primary Care – Stoddard in Dexter. Dr. Ware comes from a diverse health care background, having worked in various roles including emergency room registration, switchboard operations, phlebotomy and home health, all of which provided different perspectives on caring for patients.
Dr. Ware earned an associate degree from Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff and a bachelor's in biomedical sciences from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. She then earned her medical degree from American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Sint Maarten before completing her family medicine internship and residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences – Texarkana.
“My passion for family medicine stems from recognizing the significant lack of access to quality health care and a deep desire to give back to the underserved rural community,” Dr. Ware said. “I’m looking forward to providing compassionate, patient-centered care through education and shared decision-making to enhance the quality of life in every stage of aging.”
Though she was born overseas on a military base, Dr. Ware spent most of her childhood in Southeast Missouri, graduating high school from a small town near the Castor River.
“Throughout college and medical school, I'd traveled and lived in several areas of the country only to find myself drawn back to the comforts of rural Southeast Missouri – my home,” she said.
Dr. Ware enjoys spending time with her husband, a superintendent at an area school district, and their three children, twin 17-year-oldsand a 6-year-old. They cherish their busy lives together, which are filled with sports, school commitments and outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, gardening, hiking and camping.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Ware at Mercy Primary Care – Stoddard, call 573-624-7575. The primary care clinic is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.
Mercy Health Foundation Southeast will present the “Kings & Queens of London Journey Gala 2025” this month, benefiting the Mercy Cancer Center – Cape Girardeau.
Guests and sponsors will enjoy an elegant evening, dining like royalty on Saturday, Jan. 18, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Drury Plaza Conference Center, 3351 Percy Drive, Cape Girardeau. The ninth-annual benefit also includes silent and live auctions, raffles, entertainment from Cape Specialty Entertainment Group, a cirque acts group, and live music from Shades of Soul. Guests are encouraged to “polish their crowns” and “prepare their finest attire” for this black-tie optional event.
Each year, the Journey Gala changes “locations” with its around-the-world themes. Past years have “traveled” to Italy, Morocco, Brazil, France, Japan and more to benefit the Mercy Health Foundation Southeast Cancer Care Fund, which provides essential services for patients in need, including transportation, lodging, nutritional supplements and medication assistance.
“We have been so grateful for the overwhelming support the community has shown for the Journey Gala over the last eight years,” said Darah Jirkovsky, Mercy Health Foundation Southeast director. “We are grateful to everyone who attends, because they are helping support those living with cancer right here in Southeast Missouri. It’s going to be an amazing evening of entertainment and a wonderful celebration.”
Chairs for this year’s gala are Sara Crocker, Victoria Moon and Jeanette Austin. Since the event began in 2017, $1.4 million in proceeds have helped cancer patients in need.
Gala tickets are available for purchase at $250 each. Corporate sponsorships are also available. Event sponsors will have the opportunity to attend a VIP reception prior to the event. Learn more about sponsorships or purchase tickets online at mercyhealthfoundation.net/journeygala or by calling Mercy Health Foundation Southeast at 573-519-4922.
Mercy Southeast will extend its game-changing partnership with Southeast Missouri State University to provide high-quality care to the university’s student- athletes through 2029.
Mercy Southeast and Southeast Missouri State University signed a five-year extension on its collaborative partnership in which Mercy Southeast provides orthopedic and sports medicine services for the university’s NCAA Division I athletics program. Mercy Southeast also will care for the university’s intramural and club sport participants as well as performing arts students.
Mercy Southeast Orthopedic and Sports Medicine provides primary medical and orthopedic care, physical therapy and athletic training services to student-athletes. Dr. Andrew Lawrence, Dr. Brian Sutterer and Dr. Michelle Tedrowe will continue to serve as the official team physicians of Southeast Missouri State University.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Southeast Missouri State University,” said Jason Emmenderfer, executive director for specialty services at Mercy Southeast. “Over the last five years, we’ve enjoyed working with their student-athletes and performers, providing high-quality care to help improve their physical performances. This partnership with the university has been a game changer for both our physicians and the students.”
Services provided by Mercy Southeast for Southeast Missouri State University include:
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Eight full-time certified athletic trainers with the athletic program and one full-time certified
athletic trainer to work with performing arts, intramural and club sports
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Game-day coverage for all athletic programs
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On-campus clinic availability by both primary care and orthopedic physicians for student-
athletes and performing arts students in the university’s athletic training facility
Mercy Southeast and Southeast Missouri State University began this partnership in 2019, marking the first time the university contracted with an outside group for comprehensive medical services for performers and student-athletes.
Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana,
Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.
For interested students, now is the perfect time to learn more about SEMO! Apply today with no application fee. Eligible new Missouri undergraduate students with a 2.75 high school GPA and who are eligible for Pell Grants won’t pay any tuition or fees at Southeast Missouri State with the Will To Do Award. SEMO also offers one tuition rate nationwide for domestic students. Apply at semo.edu/apply. Prospective students can explore SEMO’s opportunities by scheduling a campus visit. For more information or to visit campus, visit the Southeast Admissions page or admissions@semo.edu.
Mercy Stoddard Hospital continued its tradition of blessing local nursing home residents with Christmas gifts through its Golden Angel Tree program, which displays the residents’ wish lists on a Christmas tree for caregivers then to select and purchase.
This year, 83 residents from eight facilities were nominated by their nursing home staff. This outreach tradition began more than 30 years ago with Mercy Stoddard nursing staff and has since grown. In the spirit of Mercy, Mercy Stoddard caregivers were excited to answer the call of service and spent the past two weeks preparing their gifts for distribution.
Pictured are: Mercy Stoddard co-workers and caregivers with all the Christmas gifts they purchased for local nursing home residents as part of their Golden Angel Tree program.
