Upstate Cancer Center in the Works

Construction on Upstate Medical University's $74 million dollar Upstate Cancer Center project will soon be underway.

by Kit Rodophele (NCC News)

November 10, 2010, 2:30 p.m.

What the new facility will entail:

The construction of the center, which is set to begin in march, is going to transform Upstate's Regional Oncology Center into a five-story building which will be connected to University Hospital's west wing. According to Jean-Marie Glasser, Assistant Director for the Cancer Center, ther best aspect of this project is that it will be consolidating the cancer program into one building. It is currently decentralized across campus.

"Now, the doctors have to run everywhere to go to these meetings and we want to put it in one convenient location for the patients and the faculty so they can do more efficient multi-disciplinary care," says Glasser.

Glasser said, that among other things, the facility will include:

• a family resource center
• financial and counseling services
• a meditation room for cancer patients
• more chemotherapy units
• a healing rooftop garden
• conference rooms for patient/faculty collaborative discussions
• a special boutique for cancer patients that caters to their needs: wigs, scarves, etc.
• library services to conduct research on different cancers

What patients can expect:

Glasser also said that the new facility will be a comfortable and attractive place that will allow cancer patients to feel right at home.

"I like to think of walking in the front door of the new cancer center as going down a scenic boulevard, like main street U.S.A...everybody has a main street in their town," said Glasser.

Often times, patients have to bring children to their chemotherapy sessions. The new facility is taking that into account by creating more available space for family members of patients so that the facility will have a more family-centered environment.

The Upstate Cancer Center, which is set to open in 2013, will be paid for by private bonding and through a fundraising campaign which will be held sometime this December.