PEORIA, Ill. – The new OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute will start taking its first patients later this month.
The $237 million facility features proton therapy and brachytherapy to treat cancer, along with numerous other features.
Construction for the facility began in the fall of 2022, but OSF Central Region CEO Bob Anderson says it’s been a long journey to get to this point.
“People have assumed that it’s just been since we started digging that this project has been underway,” said Anderson. “We actually started in 2014, asking ourselves ‘Where should we place proton therapy on our campus, and how can we make it the best experience for our patients?'”
Proton beam therapy is the highlight of the cancer institute, but Anderson says another highlight might be making sure a patient’s support system is involved, too.
“We’ve thought about how to bring the family alongside,” said Anderson. “All of our medical examination areas have the ability to video conference. Family members that may be at a distance that want to be involved in the discussion – maybe they have elderly parents and the children are out of state and want to be part of the discussion – we can do that here.”
The cancer institute also has areas for clinical research and teaching, and Illinois Cancer Care will be on site as well.
Anderson says one of the reasons for building a center with proton therapy is the lack of its availability in the Midwest.
A public open house with tours of OSF Cancer Institute will be Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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