State-of-the-art equipment, high levels of patient support and proximity to population centers recently helped Shelby Baptist Medical Center’s cancer program achieve national accreditation, according to the American College of Surgeons.

The College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer granted the hospital’s cancer program a three-year accreditation with commendation in January after a comprehensive hospital review.

During the review, the commission, which is composed of more than 42 cancer-related organizations, reviewed the cancer program’s cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach, quality improvement and several other areas.

Shelby Baptist’s cancer program joined about 1,400 other accredited cancer programs across the nation, which represents about 25 percent of all hospitals in the country, according to a Shelby Baptist press release.

“Accreditation by the Commission on Cancer is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance,” Shelby Baptist Director of Business Development April Weaver wrote in the press release.

Through being an accredited hospital, Shelby Baptist will also provide cancer patient data to the Commission on Cancer’s nationwide database, which contains demographics, treatment outcomes and other information on more than 18 million patients.

Cancer programs across the country will use the data to improve care quality at their hospitals, according to the release.

Weaver said the accreditation will allow Shelby Baptist to provide comprehensive care, information about new treatment options, access to cancer-related information, close patient monitoring and “quality care close to home.”