PHOENIX – A construction milestone has been reached at the new University of Arizona Cancer Center at Dignity Health’s St. Joseph’s outpatient facility in downtown Phoenix as the final beam was set atop the building on Tuesday.
Located on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus at 625 N. Sixth St., on the northwest corner of Fillmore and Seventh streets, the center will open in 2015. The University is leasing the land from the City of Phoenix.
The 220,000-square-foot, five-story, $100 million facility will offer comprehensive cancer services, including specialized cancer clinics in breast, gynecologic, thoracic, cutaneous oncology and sarcoma, head and neck, gastrointestinal and hepato-pancreatico-biliary, and genitouniary cancers; as well as infusion, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, endoscopic/interventional radiology, patient wellness and support services, a prevention center, clinical lab space and other related support spaces.
Under an affiliation agreement approved by the Arizona Board of Regents and Dignity Health in Arizona, St. Joseph’s will operate inpatient clinical cancer services at its main hospital campus and outpatient services at the new downtown facility. Until the new facility opens the hospital will continue to provide outpatient services.
“Seeing this beam go up today, we know that in a short time this facility will play host to cutting-edge research, the hallmark of our great university, and exemplary patient care with our partners from St. Joseph’s,” said UA President Ann Weaver Hart. “We are grateful to the City of Phoenix for its leadership in developing the plans for the next great academic medical center.”
Linda Hunt, president and chief executive officer of Dignity Health in Arizona, said that the topping off ceremony marked the culmination of years of planning, discussion and design. “This will be a beautiful, state-of-the-art building, but it is the skill of our medical professionals and the humankindness they bring that will make the Center truly great.”
“This is an important milestone for the Phoenix Biomedical Campus because we’re one step closer to cutting the ribbon on the University of Arizona Cancer Center,” Mayor Greg Stanton said. “We’ll continue working with our partners at the university and St. Joseph’s Hospital to transform downtown Phoenix into a world-class hub for medical innovation and care.”
The UA Cancer Center is one of just 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. It is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center headquartered in Arizona and serving the entire state through a network of affiliated health care organizations and community physicians.
Follow the project’s construction progress at phoenixcancercenter.org
The construction is the latest project for the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, which is anchored by the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix and includes the Translational Genomics Research Institute. The university colleges of public health, pharmacy and nursing all have activities on the downtown Phoenix along with programs from Northern Arizona University’s College of Health and Human Services.
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About The University of Arizona Cancer Center
The University of Arizona Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center headquartered in Arizona. The UACC is supported by NCI Cancer Center Support Grant number CA023074. With primary locations at the University of Arizona in Tucson and at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, the Cancer Center has more than a dozen research and education offices in Phoenix and throughout the state and 300 physician and scientist members who work together to prevent and cure cancer. For more information, go to www.arizonacancercenter.org
About St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
Located in the heart of Phoenix, Ariz., St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center is a 607-bed, not-for-profit hospital that provides a wide range of health, social and support services with special advocacy for the poor and underserved. St. Joseph’s is a nationally recognized center for quality tertiary care, medical education and research. It includes the internationally renowned Barrow Neurological Institute, the Heart & Lung Institute, Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, and a Level I Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons. U.S. News & World Report routinely ranks St. Joseph’s among the best hospitals in the United States for neurology and neurosurgery.
About the Phoenix Biomedical Campus
The Phoenix Biomedical Campus (PBC) is a 30-acre urban medical and bioscience campus planned for more than 6 million square feet of biomedical-related research, academic and clinical facilities. The city of Phoenix’s vision of the PBC is to create a world-class urban academic healthcare campus focused on research and clinical care; advance science and improve patient care through collaboration; attract knowledge workers and create an educated workforce; deliver sustainable, high-wage jobs and spark private sector investment in the biosciences. For more information on the PBC and the bioindustry in Phoenix, visit biomedicalphoenix.com.