$2 Million Gift Will Create Regional Cancer Center Serving Dansville, Wellsville, Hornell
Representatives from UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, Noyes Health, Jones Memorial Hospital and UR Medicine Radiation Oncology in Hornell announced today that they are collaborating to develop a regional cancer center based in Dansville, Livingston County. The regional cancer center, which will also include services in Wellsville, Allegany County, will allow the organizations to address the needs of an area with a high incidence of cancers and provide patients more convenient access to comprehensive cancer care.
A $2 million gift from Ann and Carl Myers of Springwater, Livingston County, will be used to help construct the new facility and fund the establishment of care programs. In recognition of the family’s gift, the center will be named the Ann and Carl Myers Cancer Center. The Myers Cancer Center will be located on the campus of Noyes Hospital and serve patients in the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Western New York.
“My wife Ann and I are grateful to be in a position to do this, and we think this cancer center will be good for anyone who lives in this area,” Carl Myers said. “Whether you need to be treated for cancer or not, this will attract quality medical professionals to our community, and that will benefit everyone.”
Plans for the cancer center and UR Medicine’s regional cancer services in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier include:
- A 4,500-square-foot, lower-level addition to house a radiation oncology clinic at Noyes Health in Dansville.
- A 2,300-square-foot medical oncology clinic in renovated and new first-floor space at Noyes, featuring three exam rooms and five chemotherapy/infusion bays.
- A medical oncology center that will be established at Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville, allowing patients to receive follow-up care and consultations closer to home.
- UR Medicine’s recently purchased radiation oncology practice in Hornell, which complements a medical oncology practice co-located in the same building.
Each year, approximately 4,000 patients travel from Allegany, Livingston and Steuben counties to Wilmot Cancer Institute for outpatient care. They often make daily or weekly trips over a period of months to receive radiation and/or chemotherapy. The Myers Cancer Center will help alleviate the strain of traveling an hour or more for care.
“Noyes Health is excited to partner with Wilmot Cancer Institute and Jones Memorial Hospital to bring a comprehensive cancer program to the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier,” said Amy Pollard, president and CEO of Noyes Health System. “This collaboration will expand access to medical oncology and radiation services, as well as support the mission of all of our organizations to improve the health of individuals in a compassionate and caring environment. I would like to thank Ann and Carl Myers for taking the philanthropic lead on this important project and for their history of support of Noyes Health.”
“A regional cancer center is an example of how important it is for hospitals and health centers to form partnerships,” said Eva Benedict, CEO at Jones Memorial Hospital. “It isn’t feasible, or even realistic in the challenging financial environment that all health care facilities face, for each local hospital or provider to offer all the latest technology. By forming collaborations like this, we are able to ensure access to the highest quality specialty care, closer to home. For patients and their caregivers, Wilmot Cancer Institute, with services in Dansville and Wellsville, will ease the financial and physical burden of travel for medically vulnerable patients.”
The project has an estimated cost of $10.4 million. UR Medicine, Noyes and Jones have agreed to contribute $1 million in assets to the cancer center project. In addition to the $2 million gift from the Myers family, these three hospitals will continue to encourage donors in their communities to support this effort.
“We are grateful for the generosity of the Myers family and the commitment of these communities to support the creation of a regional cancer center,” said Jonathan W. Friedberg, M.D., M.M.Sc., director of Wilmot Cancer Institute. “As cancer care has become more complex, access to comprehensive and coordinated treatment is essential for patients and their families. By working together with Noyes Health, Jones Memorial Hospital, and UR Medicine Radiation Oncology in Hornell, we will be able to bring our vision of comprehensive cancer care closer to home for patients in this region.”
“Not only will these facilities be more convenient for patients and their families, but they will also serve older patients and those who are not physically able to handle a long daily commute well,” said Yuhchyau Chen, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Radiation Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Richard T. Bell Endowed Professor.
The regional cancer center in Dansville will also provide patients with access to services including advanced diagnostic testing, clinical trials, outpatient palliative care, and Wilmot Cancer Institute’s Judy DiMarzo Cancer Survivorship Program. Physicians at the cancer center and the medical oncology clinic at Jones Memorial Hospital will have access to UR Medicine’s region-wide electronic medical record system and regular consultations with multidisciplinary teams focused on cancer.
The new medical oncology services in Wellsville will be available this fall. Construction on the campus of Noyes Health is expected to be complete by the end of 2016.
This cancer center project is unique in our region and comes at a time when health systems across the country are forging relationships to ensure specialty services while improving quality.
“This collaboration demonstrates a commitment to providing high-quality health care services in our region and to finding innovative ways to ensure those services are accessible no matter where patients live,” said Mark B. Taubman, CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center and UR Medicine and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Endeavors like this are essential to improving the health of our communities as the nation’s health care system continues to evolve, and we are proud to work together with Noyes, Jones and St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell to meet the needs of this region.”
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UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute is the Finger Lakes region’s leader for cancer care and research. As a component of Strong Memorial Hospital, Wilmot Cancer Institute provides specialty cancer care services at the University of Rochester Medical Center and a network of locations throughout the region. The Institute also includes a team of 100 scientists who investigate many aspects of cancer, with an emphasis on how best to provide precision cancer care. To learn more, visit wilmot.urmc.edu.
Jones Memorial Hospital is a 70-bed full-service, acute care community hospital located in southwestern New York State. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission, Jones Memorial serves all of Allegany County as well as western Steuben County and northern Potter County, Pa. Find out more at www.jmhny.org.
Noyes Health is a diverse and comprehensive healthcare system which includes Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital, a 67-bed facility in Dansville, Noyes Health Services in Geneseo, Noyes Kidney and Dialysis Center in Geneseo, and Noyes Mental Health Services in Dansville. Noyes Health is accredited by the Joint Commission and serves all of Livingston County and parts of Steuben, Allegany and Ontario Counties. Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital is a community hospital and the only Emergency Department in Livingston County, located right off Interstate 390 Exit 4. For more information about Noyes Health, visit www.noyes-health.org.
St. James Mercy Hospital, founded in 1890 and based in Hornell, is a not-for-profit health organization sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy that provides care in Steuben and surrounding counties, with emphasis on the poor and underserved. St. James Mercy Hospital is a member of CHE Trinity Health, a multi-institutional network. For more information, visit www.stjamesmercy.org.