MedCentral Mansfield Hospital is opening a new, larger, and more comprehensive cancer wing.

It's on the first floor off the main lobby, saving patients and families the chore of going to the fourth floor, and will hold 42 patients instead of 27 in the current cancer wing.

In-Patient Director of Nursing Patty Kastelic says it will offer treatment services including chemotherapy and infusion, palliative care which involves congestive heart failure, shortness of breath, and pain management.

The cancer wing will also offer hospice-respite care, allowing families of patients to take time away while their loved ones are cared for in the hospital.     

The reception area is adorned with the Tree of Life and Memory.  It has 243 "leaves", bearing the names of those who have survived or succumbed to cancer, and those who donate money or volunteer their time in support of the cancer wing. 

An open house for MedCentral's new cancer wing will be held Wednesday from 4-6:30 pm, and patients will be moved in this Sunday.