Spartanburg Regional Foundation Embarks on $15 Million Campaign
Spartanburg, SC (PRWEB) November 11, 2015 -- The Upstate of SC has relied on Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute since 1999 for personalized medicine and cancer care. Now, Gibbs is ready to take the next step and bring cancer care to a new level.
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System announced the investment of $65 million into a new cancer center in Greer. With a $15 million capital campaign co-chaired by Marsha Gibbs, Lindsay Webster, and Drs. Jay Bearden and Julian Josey through the Spartanburg Regional Foundation, efforts are well underway towards a world-class cancer center that is projected to become a destination center for cancer care.
“This work is a ministry. This is the most important thing I have done,” said campaign co-chair Julian Josey, MD. “I have a strong passion to see this happen in my lifetime.”
To date, $9.5 million has already been raised through this campaign effort, which is the largest in the Spartanburg Regional Foundation’s history. Four local families have made seven-figure gifts, accounting for $7 million of the total $9.5 million.
The Spartanburg Regional Foundation embarked on this exciting challenge of raising funds in fall of 2014. While raising millions of dollars for a new facility can be challenging at times, Executive Foundation Director Kristy Caradori said, “The Foundation is committed and proud to help cancer patients by taking a lead role in transforming cancer care in our community.”
The Spartanburg Regional Foundation’s funding has built and supported many cancer initiatives since its beginnings in 1992, with additional operational grants assisting in the ongoing work that takes place daily. The funding for the development of a new cancer center in Greer is just another initiative to add to the long list.
“We are investing in physicians, technology and facilities to create the cancer center of the future; ensuring our community has access to the very best cancer care right here in the Upstate,” said Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System CEO, Bruce Holstien. “We need this new facility to meet the growing demand for cancer care in our region and to continue the vision we have to be a top cancer provider, not just locally but across the country.”
Construction of the 198,000 square-foot, seven-story facility is scheduled to begin early 2016, with a completion date of mid-2018. This cancer center will be connected to Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s Pelham Medical Center campus, located at 250 Westmoreland Road in Greer, S.C.
“Gibbs is known for its care and personalized medicine, and the center will rapidly emerge and develop into an innovation center. Novel ideas and new research are already being created, tested, and distributed to the community in a rapid fashion,” said Timothy Yeatman, MD, Director and President of Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute.
With cancer treatment and support services under one roof, the new facility will also house research, education and a healing environment for patients. Numerous physicians will collaborate to incorporate technology across the fields of research and treatment to ensure that every patient receives the best cancer care possible. Gibbs Cancer Center currently offers:
- Multidisciplinary planning committees, in which the medical team pulls from different specialties to discuss individual patient cases
- Clinical and translational research
- Clinical trials for patients that will help determine which medical approach works best for certain illnesses or groups of people
- Radiation, medical and surgical oncology
- Advanced technology such as CyberKnife® M6™ Radiosurgery System, TrueBeam Radiotherapy System, and InCise™ Multileaf Collimation System
- Integrative medicine (therapeutic massages, support groups, classes and more)
These services will continue to be offered with a potential to expand in the coming years. Gibbs physicians are now taking an “academic” approach to cancer care with an invested emphasis on clinical, translational and basic research. In addition to cancer research that is performed every day, Gibbs also provides the community with easy access to clinical trials.
“This facility will be a community cancer center like no other,” said David Church, PhD, Vice President of Oncology and Support Services for Gibbs. “Our goal is for patients and families not to leave this area for world-class cancer care. This is here for our children, grandchildren and beyond.”
In Spartanburg County and the Upstate, the need for cancer care continues to grow:
- Gibbs diagnosed nearly 3,000 new cancer cases in 2014; a 14 percent increase from 2013.
- The American Cancer Society predicts that South Carolina will have more than 25,000 new cancer cases diagnosed by the end of 2015.
The new cancer center is in close proximity to the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport, allowing ease of access for patients flying into the area. The economic impact brought to the Upstate is projected to be nearly $100 million for the rapidly growing Greer area.
“We have a vision to become a destination cancer center,” said James Bearden, MD, Vice President Clinical Research, Associate Director of Clinical Research and fundraising campaign co-chair. “This will be a place where people throughout our region and beyond will come to receive comprehensive, compassionate and cutting edge care.”
Making A Gift:
Anyone can make a gift to the Spartanburg Regional Foundation to support this exciting initiative. Visit RegionalFoundation.com or call 864-560-6727 to make a gift today.
Evolution of Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute:
1976: Drs. Jay Bearden and Julian Josey initiated the concept of the cancer center, requested that Spartanburg Regional Hospital—now Spartanburg Medical Center—dedicate a single floor united to cancer treatment and support services.
1999: Gibbs Cancer Center opens at Spartanburg Medical Center. The center was named after benefactors Jimmy and Marsha Gibbs, whom donated a $1.2 million gift towards the center.
1999: Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute—Union opens, offering infusion services and medical oncology.
2008: The Bearden-Josey Center for Breast Health opened, located on the Spartanburg Medical Center campus. The center exclusively is dedicated to diagnosing breast cancer.
2011: Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute—Gaffney opens, offering infusion services and medical and radiation oncology services.
2012: Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute joined forces with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville to expand world-class oncology services and clinical research in the Upstate.
2013: Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute—Pelham opens, offering radiation oncology; infusion center services; gynecologic, medical and surgical oncology services.
2014: Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute—Pelham is the first cancer center in the southeast to offer the CyberKnife ® M6™ Radiosurgery System.
2015: Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute—Pelham is the first cancer center in the United States to use the InCise™ Multileaf Collimation System.
About Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute:
Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute is a nationally recognized cancer treatment and research facility associated with the National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Center program and many academic cancer centers. Named for benefactors Marsha and Jimmy Gibbs and with locations in Spartanburg, Gaffney, Union and Greer, Gibbs is a proven leader in providing effective cancer treatment through advanced technology, professional expertise and an exceptional level of personalized care. Gibbs’ oncology program, which also includes the Bearden-Josey Center for Breast Health, has been recognized by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons as offering high-quality cancer care. In 2013, the Gibbs expanded its research efforts by opening a 7,500-square-foot state-of-the-art facility at Pelham Medical Center.
About Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System:
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) offers a full spectrum of services through four hospitals: Spartanburg Medical Center, Pelham Medical Center, Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care and Union Medical Center. SRHS also includes Ellen Sagar Nursing Center, 113-bed long-term care, skilled nursing facility that offers nursing care and rehabilitation services. SRHS provides unparalleled oncological care through the Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute. The multidisciplinary Medical Group of the Carolinas has more than 300 physicians across seven counties in two states. SRHS employs nearly 6,000 associates and offers outpatient surgery centers, a vibrant post-acute division, a Level I Trauma Center, and Advicare, a licensed Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Advicare provides Medicaid services to residents throughout the state of South Carolina. U.S. News and World Report ranked Spartanburg Medical Center the No. 1 regional hospital in South Carolina in 2014-15. The Commission on Cancer gave Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute its Outstanding Achievement Award.
About the Spartanburg Regional Foundation:
The Spartanburg Regional Foundation is a charitable organization whose primary mission is to benefit the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System through direct support of community programs and services that share Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s mission of providing quality health care to our community.
Sharon Jackson, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, +1 864-560-6424, [email protected]
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