Add as a preferred source on Google

U Kentucky Trustees Approve Land Purchase for Cancer Outpatient Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 12/15/21

This week, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved a purchase agreement of $6.9 million for parcels of land near the university’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital in Lexington, Ky., to construct a new outpatient cancer treatment center. Once built, the complex will provide about 260,000 additional square feet of cancer services to expand the hospital’s patient care service and ease of access to treatment.

The UK Markey Cancer Center, part of Chandler Hospital, is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated center in the state of Kentucky; as such, it offers advanced and early-phase therapies not available anywhere else in the state. Since receiving this designation in 2013, the Markey Cancer Center has seen outpatient clinic visits increase by 57%, according to a press release, as well as more than 120,000 patient visits in the 2021 fiscal year.

UK Markey Cancer Center
Photo courtesy of the University of Kentucky

“Kentucky continues to rank first in the nation for cancer rates, and our expansion of outpatient services at UK Markey Cancer Center—as well as other ambulatory services—is critical to our mission to take care of the health care needs of Kentuckians,” said Mark Newman, M.D., UK executive vice president for health affairs.

The project’s design phase was approved by the UK Board of Trustees’ health care committee in May 2021. The proposed design features space for outpatient operating rooms, procedures rooms, diagnostics and imaging services, and pharmacy and lab services, as well as meeting rooms, structured parking and space for other advanced outpatient clinics.

“The Markey Cancer Center has grown exponentially over the last ten years. We must expand our physical footprint to keep up with the growing demand for the highest-quality and most-accessible cancer care,” said Mark Evers, M.D., director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “As Kentucky’s only NCI-designated cancer center, it’s our mission to reduce the burden of cancer in the state. With Kentucky still ranked first in the U.S. in overall cancer incidence and mortality, this new complex is vital for our multidisciplinary cancer team in diagnosing and treating our current and future patients to make positive progress toward our goal of conquering cancer in the Commonwealth.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

  • Empowering People Through Smart, Sustainable Campuses

    Sustainability is facing increasing scrutiny, with some questioning its costs and priorities. Yet for universities, it remains an essential driver of resilience, operational efficiency and long-term competitiveness. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that sustainable transformation is not just about reducing energy consumption and emissions to comply with tightening regulations ‒ it’s about creating vibrant, comfortable environments where people can thrive, innovate and connect. For university leadership, this is a complex balancing act, with rising energy costs and limited budgets only adding to the challenge.

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • concentric silhouettes of a human head

    How Physical Space Shapes the Mind: Designing for Better Learning Outcomes

    Research in environmental psychology and neuroscience increasingly suggests that the way a room is designed can influence memory, focus, or even a student's sense of belonging.

Digital Edition