The Passavant Area Hospital Radiation Oncology Center is the recipient of the Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation's (JREDC) 2017 Champion Award. The award honors an individual, agency or organization that does not have economic development as its primary purpose. The Champion Award was presented at the JREDC Annual Meeting Feb. 15 at the Jacksonville Country Club.

Passavant, in collaboration with the Memorial Medical Center (MMC) Regional Cancer Center, opened the Passavant Radiation Oncology Center April 3, 2017. The Radiation Oncology Center features a state-of-the-art linear accelerator which uses high-energy radiation to damage cancer cells' DNA and destroy their ability to divide and grow. Customized to each patient, radiation therapy treatment plans are developed by highly trained staff at the MMC Regional Cancer Center in Springfield. Once the plans are created, patients receive their ongoing radiation treatments in Jacksonville, providing care close to home.