A groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 25 for Exeter Hospital’s planned expansion and renovation of its Center for Cancer Care. From left, Pearla Phillips, chair of the United in Wellness Leadership Advisory Board; Dr. Panos Fidias, medical director for medical oncology at the Center for Cancer Care; Kevin Callahan, president and CEO of Exeter Health Resources; Donna McKinney, vice president of Acute Care/Cancer Services and Chief Nurse Executive at Exeter Hospital; and Davis Farmer, chair of the “Together We Can” capital campaign.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 25 for Exeter Hospital’s planned expansion and renovation of its Center for Cancer Care. From left, Pearla Phillips, chair of the United in Wellness Leadership Advisory Board; Dr. Panos Fidias, medical director for medical oncology at the Center for Cancer Care; Kevin Callahan, president and CEO of Exeter Health Resources; Donna McKinney, vice president of Acute Care/Cancer Services and Chief Nurse Executive at Exeter Hospital; and Davis Farmer, chair of the “Together We Can” capital campaign.
Exeter Hospital has begun work on a renovation and expansion of its Center for Cancer Care.
The project includes a 7,000-square-foot addition that will connect its radiation oncology and medical oncology services, which are now separated.
According to the hospital, the renovation work will increase the number of infusion bays, enhance the patient experience and create larger treatment areas that will be more modern and comfortable and have a view to outdoor gardens.
The cancer center, which is nearly 21,000 square feet and was built in 2003, is in the main hospital building on the campus at 5 Alumni Drive.
Under the plan, which was designed with input from former patients, more space will also be added to the center’s Multidisciplinary Clinics for breast, thoracic/lung, gastrointestinal, head and neck, and prostate/genitourinary cancers.
The clinics streamline the evaluation and planning process following a cancer diagnosis so that patients and their families can meet with specialists focused on their cancer type on the same day.
“This renovation and expansion will align our physical site with the excellent quality of the care we have been providing for decades. Our relationship with the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center brings oncologists and nurse practitioners to work here onsite along with our outstanding team of nurses, staff and specialists throughout Exeter Hospital and Core Physicians. We are thrilled to begin this project which will offer a larger, more comfortable and efficient space for our patients,” said Eileen McDonald, director of the Center for Cancer Care.
A groundbreaking for the project was held on March 25.
Hospital officials have estimated that the project would cost about $9 million with about a third of that amount generated through fundraising efforts.
A capital campaign called “Together We Can” to help fund the project is expected to open to the public late next summer.
More than $1 million has already been raised during a quiet phase of leadership giving. The Bauman Family Foundation and Newburyport Bank are among the donors.
“Our community has demonstrated we are worthy of their philanthropic investment, and we are so grateful for their support,” said Dan Raposa, director of advancement for Exeter Health Resources, Exeter Hospital’s parent company.
