Ivinson Memorial Hospital upgrades cancer center to boost local care

Ivinson Memorial Hospital is upgrading the Meredith and Jeannie Ray Cancer Center in Laramie, a change that could spare Albany County families repeated drives out of town for treatment. The renovation is meant to expand the center’s space, ease a growing patient load and keep cancer care in a setting that feels private and healing.

The work will include a redesigned waiting room, more infusion treatment bays and additional private office space for a nurse navigator and patient advocate. Those details matter for patients who often spend long stretches at the center, balancing chemotherapy, blood work and appointments with oncologists against work, school and caregiving schedules. A larger local facility can also reduce the strain on relatives who have to arrange transportation and take time off to accompany a loved one.

The center already handles a broad range of services, including medical oncology, radiation oncology, chemotherapy, hematology, IV therapy, blood transfusions and specialized procedures. Ivinson also said recent improvements are making radiation treatments faster and more precise with the addition of a Varian TrueBeam Linear Accelerator. In 2021, the hospital said the center administered 2,500 radiation treatments in the previous year, showing how heavily the facility is already used by patients across the region.

The cancer center has deep roots in Laramie. Meredith and Jeannie Ray made an initial gift in 2006 that helped establish it, and the building was designed as a single-level facility connected to the hospital by a hallway. Ivinson has said that a cancer diagnosis today does not have to mean being sent far from home, because most cancer care can now be provided locally. The center also supports patients with oncology navigation, support groups and survivorship programming.

Amy Smith has directed the cancer center since 2012 and earned board certification as a family nurse practitioner in 2023. With Ivinson Memorial Hospital serving Wyoming since 1917, the upgrade reinforces a long-standing local health resource at 255 N. 30th St. in Laramie. For families facing cancer in Albany County, the practical result is simpler and more important than any ribbon-cutting: more care, less travel and a better chance to stay close to home when it matters most.