Clarian, School of Medicine begin work on Cancer Center building expansion

To combat an expected increase in cancer treatment demand and in an effort to become one of the top five cancer centers in the country, the IU School of Medicine and Clarian Health Center began construction last week on an expansion of the IU Cancer Center.\nThe $150 million expansion, expected to be completed in 2008, will add more than 400,000 square feet to the center.\n"We have a unique opportunity. Cancer is a disease of aging and a substantial number of people affected with cancer are aging patients," said Stephen Williams, director of the IU Cancer Center. "The demographics of Indiana are such that there will be a huge increase of cancer over the next 20 to 30 years."\nThe IU Cancer Center, a clinical and research facility for cancer treatment, is the only National Cancer Institute center designated for clinical care in the state.\n"Consequently, we have a lot of patients and we need to provide for them," said Mary Hardin, media manager at the IU School of Medicine. "The field is growing. We have a goal to become one of the top five centers in the country."\nThe IU School of Medicine began collaborating with Clarian Health eight years ago when Clarian first opened. The IU Cancer Center is one of several products of the \ncollaboration.\n"The collaboration is really a natural fit because of their research specialty and our clinical specialty," said James Wide of Clarian Health. "We're both leaders in medicine for the state -- it's just right for us to be together."\nThe collaboration allows the IU Cancer Center to conduct both research and treatment.\n"Clarian is critically important to the IU School of Medicine, and the IU School of Medicine is a critical component of the leadership of Clarian," Williams said.\nThe IU Cancer Center mainly treats adult patients. Pediatric cancer treatment is mainly done by Riley Hospital for Children, of which Clarian is also a partner.\nWilliams said the expansion will bring new and improved inpatient space, a new surgical intensive care unit, new medical surgical beds, new operating rooms and significant expansion of diagnostic radiology, as well as new outpatient facilities.\n"Cancer treatment has evolved, and more and more is based in the outpatient department," he said.\nThe IU Cancer Center enlisted the help of patient groups to develop the design of the building with the goal of ensuring patient satisfaction.\nThe new addition will be located on the IU Medical School campus, at the corner of Michigan Street and University Boulevard in Indianapolis. The center receives no state money, so the expansion will be funded by Clarian Health Center and philanthropy.\nLast week's groundbreaking was the end result of about three years of planning, and the beginning of an estimated two and a half years of construction.\n"The ultimate beneficiaries are the citizens of the state of Indiana," Williams said. "This will be a venue in which we will care for those affected by cancer and a place where we will educate the cancer experts of the future"