Skip to main content
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

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.