SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., ― Regional West Foundation recently received a $50,000 donation from the Oregon Trail Community Foundation (OTCF) to help fund the purchase of the Varian Edge™ linear accelerator for the Cancer Treatment Center at Regional West.

OTCF is a benevolent community trust organized to benefit citizens of western Nebraska and Goshen and Platte Counties in eastern Wyoming. The OTCF board of directors voted to award a $50,000 grant to Regional West Foundation for the innovative cancer treatment system.

“Regional West Foundation is excited to receive this grant for the Varian Edge™ linear accelerator,” said John Massey, Regional West Foundation chair. “We extend our sincere thanks to OTCF for their generosity and support in our mission to provide exceptional healthcare to our region.”

A linear accelerator is a piece of equipment that produces radiation to be used for targeted therapy, primarily for cancer. Mark Hartman, MD, a radiation oncologist with Regional West Physicians Clinic-Radiation Oncology, said the machine can be used for treating a broad range of cancers, including cancers of the head and neck, lung, breast, esophagus, stomach, rectum, uterus, prostate, bladder, liver, bones, skin, and tumors in the brain and spine.

Through the generosity of community members and businesses, staff members, several physicians, as well as Regional West board members and Foundation board members, Regional West Foundation is raising funds for the Varian Edge™ linear accelerator.

The Regional West Foundation was established in 1972 to support the health system’s mission of excellence in healthcare. Today, the Foundation's success is a continuation of a long and proud tradition of community support for superior healthcare services in the communities it serves.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and the only Level II Trauma Center in Nebraska west of Kearney. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers and approximately 2,000 staff members, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative healthcare services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.