University Hospitals has announced its plans to eliminate cancer care at UH Geneva, effective November 13, 2026. The loss of these services means that UH patients from Ashtabula County and neighboring communities will have to travel to UH's TriPoint Medical Center in Lake County, adding an additional 30 to 60 minutes of travel time for cancer patients and their families and caregivers.

As nurses, physicians, health professionals, patients, and community members of UH Geneva and its Seidman Cancer Center, we are demanding that University Hospitals reconsider its decision and choose instead to continue providing high-quality, accessible cancer treatment care to residents of Ashtabula County and neighboring communities close to home, in Geneva.

A cancer diagnosis is one of the most devastating things a patient and their loved ones can receive. Eliminating familiar, accessible, nearby cancer treatment adds undue stress and hardship for patients, families, and caregivers at what is already one of the most stressful times of their lives.

Many elderly and/or lower-income patients already struggle to find reliable transportation to and from treatment appointments. Some patients require treatment five days in a row, while others have treatment cycles every two weeks. Adding as much as an hour of additional travel time both to and from each of those appointments is an expensive, exhausting, entirely unnecessary burden on patients fighting cancer and their loved ones.

Residents of Ashtabula County and neighboring communities deserve ready access to high-quality cancer treatment close to home. We ask you to reconsider your decision to eliminate cancer care treatments at UH Geneva and instead commit University Hospitals to invest in our communities, our healthcare system, and our healthcare providers.