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Lisa Vance (left), administrator for Providence Portland Medical Center, Kay Stepp, chair of the board of directors, and John Koster, MD, CEO of Providence Health & Services stand in front of the newly opened Providence Cancer Center.
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From the Catholic Sentinal newspaper
By Kate Chester
Posted February 22, 2008
It's been a long time coming, and now that it's here, Oregonians will reap the benefits, say Providence officials.
Discussions about consolidating cancer services in one facility, or into one area of a facility, began in 2001 at Providence Health and Services – Oregon Region, when the first of many strategic planning sessions took place.
In April 2002, Calvin Harrison, regional executive director for the new Providence Cancer Center, submitted a presentation to administrators at Providence Portland Medical Center, who were looking at how best to revitalize the 60 year old facility in Northeast Portland. Harrison outlined how a cancer services consolidation could be achieved on the hospital's campus, breathing new life into it.
Cut to today: The multi-phase project, which first broke ground in 2005, has resulted in the completion of a comprehensive cancer center which is being blessed and dedicated by Archbishop John Vlazny.
"What has been fun, and pleasing, to see is that the original plan from 2002 – our move toward building a cancer hospital, within a hospital – is really, truly what we've ended up with," says Harrison.
Lisa Vance, administrator for Providence Portland Medical Center, acknowledges that this is "the largest project I've witnessed come together in my 22 years here." And since she won't likely see something of this magnitude again in her career – "it's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing," says Vance – she is cherishing the experience.
"We care for the most cancer patients in Oregon and until now, have had services all over the place," says Vance. "Cancer patients are especially vulnerable, so to be able to consolidate all of our services – private practices, surgeons, research and more – into one continuum of care, one location, for the benefit our patients…well, it circles back to Providence's mission and values. That's what it's all about."
Providence treats approximately 3,000 cancer patients throughout the state, more than any other health system in Oregon. Meeting that community health care need constitutes, in large part, the rationale to build a cancer center – because as the population continues to grow, so will the number of those with cancer.
From a bricks-and-mortar standpoint, the 11-story, 490,000 square foot Providence Cancer Center is a product from architects Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca Partnership and general contactor Turner Construction. The cost of construction was $204 million, with donor contributions tallying nearly $40 million.
The Providence Cancer Center houses physician specialists in all major tumor types, internationally-recognized researchers performing bench-to-bedside clinical trials and such amenities as counseling, a learning center, holistic health services, laundry facilities and a spa. Every aspect of the center – the paint colors, furniture, a floor plan that features an abundance of natural light, restorative gardens, meditation/peace rooms and commissioned Northwest art – has been designed with input from cancer patients and their families, as well as physicians and staff.
"We wanted to create a special environment for the cancer patient," said Dr. Walter Urba, medical director of the cancer center and head of clinical research for Providence Health and Services – Oregon Region. "We also wanted to ensure the best quality of care, and it's easier to do that when all of the doctors and staff are working in one place. All of our researchers, our experts in radiation, in surgery and in medical oncology are now housed in one center, in one setting, so that they can work together for optimal care of the patients."
And those patients have already begun to move into the new facility, adjacent to Providence Portland Medical Center, whose main entrance is on Northeast 47th Avenue.
A sense of compassionate care is palpable from the moment patients enter the first floor of the cancer center. Housed here are Cancer Support Services (counseling), the Jill Lematta Learning Center (lending library, computers and guides to offer patients and families information and answers to questions), Integrative Medicine (naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and massage therapy) and three restorative gardens. Support groups, one-on-one counseling, nutrition classes, Internet access and educational resources are offered free of charge to all patients. A medical spa – featuring massage, hair styling, manicures and pedicures, dry sauna and steam sauna, all especially designed for cancer patients in fragile health – will open in 2009.
Research is integral to the Providence Cancer Center, where more than 60 physician researchers and scientists work together to translate laboratory successes into new treatments for cancer patients, to look at new ways to harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer. The second floor features greatly expanded research facilities, including the Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center, the Earl A. Chiles Research Library and Conference Center and the Clinical Trials Program, which offers patients access to dozens of ongoing national and Providence-based clinical trials.
The third floor will house 21 state-of-the-art surgical suites serving all of Providence Portland Medical Center. Remaining floors include oncology and surgical oncology in-patient units, tumor registry, outpatient infusion, nursing units and private practice offices, as well as free space for future growth needs.
Other features and programs housed within the Providence Cancer Center are:
• Leading technology – Providence Cancer Center includes the first Gamma Knife Perfexion in the Northwest. Considered to be the gold standard for noninvasive radiosurgery for head and neck cancers, the Perfexion has better than 0.5 millimeters of accuracy – about the thickness of a human hair. A variety of other state-of-the-art radiation therapies are offered, as well, to treat several kinds of cancers and tumor types. All are high dose radiation and new to the cancer center.
• Support and services for patients' families – A design priority was ensuring that patients' families feel welcome and cared for at the new cancer center. Larger patient rooms, four extended-stay rooms with family space, a kitchenette, two sleeping rooms and shower and laundry facilities are among the amenities offered. Family waiting areas are designed with floor-to-ceiling windows; high-speed Internet access, a flat-screen television and a DVD player is found in every patient room.
• Art designed to comfort and heal – Noted Northwest artists were invited to lend their talents by creating pieces for the new Providence Cancer Center: Gayle Bard; Alfredo Arrequin; Mark Smith; Stephen Hayes: Deborah Horrell: Ann Gardner; Allan Zee; Jan Rothermel; and Anne Connell.
Additionally,
• A six-foot sculpture of Mother Emilie Gamelin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence, stands outside the center's front entrance. Created by French-Canadian artist Raoul Hunter, the statue is a near replica of one he created to honor the 200th anniversary of Mother Gamelin's birth in 2000. The original stands in the Metro Station in her hometown of Montreal.
• A butternut and mahogany crucifix of the Risen Christ graces the first floor lobby of the Providence Cancer Center. The work was created by local woodcarver Kelley Stadelman, discovered by the cancer center's art committee because of an article that appeared in The Catholic Sentinel in 2005.
• A Transitions center will sell wigs, prosthetics and other specialty items for cancer patients.
For more information on the Providence Cancer Center, visit www.providence.org/cancer.
Did you know...?
• The Providence Cancer Center façade contains approximately 250,000 bricks.
• The building contains approximately 1,800 cubic yards of concrete, 200 dump truck loads of concrete and 60 tons of steel.
• The linear accelerator for image guided radiation therapy cost more than $2 million, stands about nine feet tall and weighs 18,700 pounds.
• A total of 1,172,976 feet of data cables and high-voltage electrical wiring power the computer systems that make Providence Cancer Center hum. That's enough wire to run from Portland to Astoria and back – with enough wire left over to make a one-way trip to Wilsonville.
• The building includes 101,264 square feet of ultraviolet protected glass – about the size of two football fields.
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