June 2, 2010

On June 5 the University of California, Davis Cancer Center will break ground on a $29M expansion making the center one of the few in the nation where both children and adults are treated together.

Currently the pediatric patients are treated in many different locations. This expansion will almost double the current space allowing physicians and assistants to collaborate better. That not only improves care, but creates a more seamless transition for patients bridging from pediatrics to adult care, said Dorsey Griffith, a spokesperson for UC Davis Cancer Center.

Jim Otto, a National Football League Hall of Fame member and a cancer survivor will be there for the ceremony. The UC Davis Cancer Center is located at 4501 X St. in Sacramento on the UC Davis Health System Campus.

It’s been a long time in the planning. UCD originally announced the project in 2005 and fundraising is still ongoing. 2012 is the projected completion date.

“It’s a difficult [fundraising] climate but we’re bulldozing ahead,” Griffith said.

UCD needs the expansion to accommodate a 50 percent increase in out patient visits in the past five years. And the growth is projected to be 6 percent annually going forward. UCD estimates the center serves about 9,000 adults and children annually.

Currently the center is 63,000 square feet. The expansion includes a new 43,000 square-foot building with a bridge to the existing one and remodeling of 9,000 square feet of existing space. There will also be a new pediatric hematology and oncology clinic and a pediatric infusion clinic.

One of the benefits of treating all patients in the same place is the support they give each other. Griffith spoke recently with the mother of a young girl being treated with radiation and chemotherapy for a tumor on her face and lung. The mother said it’s been interesting to see how when the adults see a child going through cancer treatments, it gives them more courage to face their own treatments.