Planting the Seeds for Rural Cancer Care

By Paul Brockwell Jr. | Photos by Daniel Sangjib Min

Twenty-two years ago, cancer care in rural Southside Virginia was challenging for patients and their families. 

Susan Sutton remembers it was particularly hard for her late mother, Susan McKinney — a longtime resident of Meredithville, Va. — when she received a breast cancer diagnosis. 

Although the closest hospital was just a 15-minute drive in nearby South Hill, Va., it did not offer the care McKinney needed. By the early 2000s, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center was providing chemotherapy treatments locally, but patients requiring radiation or other advanced care often needed to make a three-hour round-trip journey north to Richmond for care. 

“Just trying to make it to appointments was not easy,” Sutton remembered. “My father would drive Mom up to Richmond. I was working downtown at the time, and I would run physically from my office up here so that I could always be there to meet with her doctors and nurses.”

Sutton’s mother passed away in 2005, before major improvements to local cancer care became reality. Nearly a decade later in 2014, Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill would formally affiliate with VCU Health System — a partnership that meant expanded access to services and care in Southside Virginia.

The challenges faced by Susan McKinney reflect those of many Massey patients in rural Virginia. Twelve of the state’s 21 most rural counties are within Massey’s catchment, or service area, which includes 66 localities and independent cities across central, eastern and southern Virginia. Despite advances, access to care remains a common challenge in rural communities, particularly when transportation to appointments involves long drives. While many people face challenges balancing medical appointments with work, rural communities often face an added geographic barrier that can make accessing preventive care and screenings difficult, especially for people working in agriculture or small businesses where time away from work means lost revenue. 

We considered lots of other causes. This is one I feel very strongly about because it will help folks who really need it by keeping first-rate doctors in the community.

Susan Sutton, donor, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

The consequences of these challenges can be staggering. In 1989, the late Christopher Desch, M.D., uncovered troubling statistics in his research on rural cancer care.

“Parts of rural Virginia had higher cancer death rates than many places in the country,” said Mary Helen Hackney, M.D., medical director of community oncology at Massey. “And that was unacceptable. We knew we needed to do something to fix this reality.”

In the wake of his research, Dr. Desch established Massey’s Rural Cancer Outreach Program to improve cancer care access in rural Virginia. The program helped open clinics at five sites — South Hill, Kilmarnock, Farmville, Emporia and Grundy. For more than three decades, Dr. Hackney, a breast cancer specialist who holds the Commonwealth Endowed Professorship in Breast Cancer Excellence, has worked to improve health outcomes for rural cancer patients through quality care, education and outreach on risk factors and screening. 

When Dr. Hackney joined Massey and the VCU School of Medicine faculty in 1992, she regularly traveled to satellite clinics for days packed with appointments. She recalls conferring with her colleagues about their cases during long drives between sites. Over the years, the model has shifted from bringing in visiting physicians to placing embedded doctors at these sites, but the need for greater education and prevention screening has continued. To address this, Massey established educational centers and programs, supported by two mobile outreach vans called Massey on the Move. 

The Suttons know what a difference it makes to have care closer to home, and their generosity will ensure we have the best possible physicians providing care in these rural communities where there is such a need.

Mary Helen Hackney, M.D., the Commonwealth Endowed Professor in Breast Cancer Excellence and medical director of community oncology, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

Despite advances, providing state-of-the-art care where patients live remains challenging.

“Health care in rural communities is getting tough,” said Dr. Hackney, who ran the Rural Cancer Outreach Program from 1998-2013. “It’s hard to attract doctors and offer the needed services.”

In South Hill, Massey is working to overcome these challenges. In addition to offering chemotherapy, the hospital now provides radiation therapy and has brought additional specialties online, so that only the most complex or serious cases require the longer trip to Richmond.

Susan Sutton and her husband, Leslie Sutton, M.D., recently toured both Massey’s cancer treatment center and the VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, which opened in 2017. When the ribbon was cut, it became the first medical facility constructed in South Hill since 1954. The Suttons were impressed by the investment made in bringing care closer to where patients live and are grateful to see the continued progress toward improving access to rural health care. 

They both reflected on how many rural residents may not be as fortunate as Susan was during her mother’s cancer treatment when their family could provide reliable transportation to and from care.

“A lot of people can’t do that,” Susan Sutton said. “Before VCU was down there, we really had such a void when it comes to care.”

The issue of rural cancer care inspired the Suttons to make a gift through their estate to endow two chairs for oncology care at South Hill. Endowed chairs help attract and retain expert physicians and support long-term investment in high-quality, accessible care. 

“We considered lots of other causes,” Susan Sutton said. “This is one I feel very strongly about because it will help folks who really need it by keeping first-rate doctors in the community.” 

For Dr. Hackney, the Suttons’ commitment is more than a generous gesture, it is a meaningful step toward a long-term solution for cancer care in rural Virginia.

“Having this kind of financial support recognizes that we’re doing something right, and that we’re working to make a difference,” Dr. Hackney said. “The Suttons know what a difference it makes to have care closer to home, and their generosity will ensure we have the best possible physicians providing care in these rural communities where there is such a need. This incredible gift will benefit the community for generations to come.”

If you would like to support VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, please contact Caitlin Doelp, Massey’s executive director of development, at 804-828-1450 or doelpc@vcu.edu.