A big moment for healthcare at MHP happened in January 2014. Altha Lucille McCorkle, philanthropist and visionary, gave a "momentous surprise" to the MHP Foundation... a planned gift to "help others the way that she had been helped at MHP". The late Mrs. McCorkle instructed in her trust to create two endowed funds for the oncology and cardiology departments.

Diagnostic and treatment technologies in these areas change rapidly, and the patient need continues to increase. At the end of 2021, the MHP Foundation offered a surprise of their own to MHP Oncology: $300,000 from the Altha Lucille McCorkle Fund for a brand new PET scanner.

Travis Reeves, Director at MHP Oncology, is thrilled for this opportunity to expand care and shares how this new equipment will impact patients: "We currently use an outside company along with surrounding hospitals. They come once a week with their mobile unit. Monday is our day, but sometimes we have to send patients to another site to get a scan in a timely manner. Other hospitals occasionally send us some for the same reason. Now we will be able to keep all of our patients here and save them on travel. We still expect to receive others from surrounding areas, and we are happy to help with their care. Overall, I am excited to say this is a huge win for this community and MHP."

All cancers are different, and some are more sensitive than others. A PET/CT scanner combines both imaging scanners to work as one in order to locate cancer within the body and determine its current stage accurately. This tool is incredibly important to provide the best treatment plan for oncology patients. By purchasing the best technology available today, physicians are able to provide the best images to the radiologists - all in house at MHP!

None of this improvement would have been possible without the foresight of planned gift donors like Mrs. McCorkle. The MHP Foundation is honored to continue her legacy and to have her as a member of the Major Legacy Society.