On September 12, the Cooper Cancer Institute in Camden was fitted for its final steel beam during the topping-off ceremony. The beam, which was painted in white and displayed the words “Building Hope,” was signed by the construction trades and our cancer team, symbolizing the sentiment behind the new cancer center to open in the fall of 2013.
“Our goal 10 years ago was to create a great Health Sciences Campus and help foster the revitalization of Camden,” said John P. Sheridan, Jr., President and CEO at Cooper. “Today we achieve another important milestone as we top-off the new Cooper Cancer Institute building.”
The $100 Million, four-story, 103,050 square foot building will provide a full range of specialists and cancer care services with the benefit of patients having all their medical needs in one place, including: radiology and radiation oncology, hematology/medical oncology, surgical oncology, urology, gynecologic oncology, chemotherapy infusion, laboratory space and chemotherapy pharmacy. Abundant examination, treatment and procedure space throughout the new building will improve patient flow and access; and conference room and academic spaces will foster the team-approach to cancer treatment for which Cooper Cancer Institute is already well-known.
“Patients have an extensive array of options in cancer care,” said Generosa Grana, MD, Director of the Cooper Cancer Institute. “This building, where specialists will collaborate under one roof, will provide the community with a true multidisciplinary coordination of care.”
Cooper has a long history of providing care to cancer patients, dating back to 1887 when the hospital first opened its doors. Today, the Cooper Cancer Institute is accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer as an Academic Comprehensive Cancer Program and is the only cancer program in South Jersey to be included in the prestigious network of institutions that make up the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ). As a Major Clinical Research Affiliate of CINJ, Cooper provides patients with access to the latest clinical trials, therapies and technology available.
During the ceremony, an American flag was raised, the same flag used at the topping-off ceremony for Three Cooper Plaza (the building next door), by the father of a project manager for the iron workers on the project. Jim Wilson, along with his fellow iron workers, continued his family’s legacy of building hope in Camden, just like his father did, more than 25 years before.