LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Covenant Health Cancer Institute has earned national accreditation as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
The voluntary accreditation places Covenant Health Cancer Institute among cancer programs nationwide recognized for meeting standards for quality, safety, and coordinated, patient-centered care. The institute has also been named an ACS Surgical Quality Partner.
“Cancer changes everything for patients and their families, and they deserve care that is both exceptional and close to home,” said Dr. Gabriel Axelrud, Medical Director of Covenant Health Cancer Institute and Oncology Service Line. “The Commission on Cancer accreditation confirms the care we deliver at Covenant Health is aligned with the highest national standards.”
According to the news release, the Covenant Health Cancer Institute includes Joe Arrington Cancer Research and Treatment Center and comprehensive inpatient and outpatient oncology services at Covenant Medical Center and Covenant Children’s hospitals.
Commission on Cancer accreditation is granted only to programs that demonstrate ongoing compliance with nationally recognized standards spanning prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship, and end-of-life care. Accredited programs undergo an on-site evaluation every three years, along with continuous data collection and performance review.
“At Covenant Health Cancer Institute, this accreditation is more than a certificate – it is a reflection of our culture,” said Shelly Biggs, Executive Director of Covenant Health Cancer Institute and Oncology Service Line. “It recognizes the daily work of our caregivers who walk beside patients and families from the moment of diagnosis through survivorship and beyond.”
Covenant Health Cancer Institute offers several advanced programs that are unique in the region, including the region’s only FACT-accredited Cellular Therapy Program for Autologous Stem Cell Transplant, the region’s only APEx-accredited Radiation Oncology Program, the region’s only Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program, and the region’s only Theranostics & Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Program.
“These programs are often only found in large academic medical centers in major cities,” Axelrud said. “Having them here in Lubbock means our patients can receive cutting-edge therapies – including precision radiation, advanced cellular therapies, and targeted radiopharmaceuticals – right where they live.”
Covenant Medical Center is rated “High Performing” in three of five cancer care types by U.S. News & World Report. The facility was recognized in 2024 by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs.”
The institute is FACT-accredited to provide autologous stem cell transplant and CAR T-cell therapy and is a member institution of the Children’s Oncology Group, expanding access to clinical research for pediatric oncology patients. It was selected as one of only five Texas sites in the Texas Clinical Trial Network, funded through the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
“These recognitions signal to our community that the quality of cancer care available at Covenant Health is on par with major centers across the country,” Biggs said.
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