The Board of Trustees gave its full and enthusiastic endorsement of the new Cooper Cancer Institute (CCI) project at the September meeting. As the premier tertiary care center in South Jersey, CCI’s objective is to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary oncology services with state-of-the-art technology and facilities in Camden, Voorhees and Willingboro.
The centerpiece of the project will be the new CCI building on the Camden campus, located on the corner of MLK Boulevard and Haddon Avenue on what is now the surface parking lot for the CareOne nursing home. The land transaction with CareOne was recently completed, and design work on the building is moving ahead at full speed, with input from the staff of the CCI. The building will be four stories, as follows:
- 1st Floor – Lobby and reception, Radiation Oncology, including two linear accelerators, high dose radiation, PET/CT, and space for future MRI expansion.
- 2nd Floor – Multi-disciplinary CareCenter (multiple exam room pods), patient financial services,academic space
- 3rd Floor – Infusion, Pharmacy,Lab, Cancer Administration, Research.
- 4th Floor – Shelled for future cancer care needs.
The Camden building will cost $71.7M in total, including all equipment. An additional $8.3M of equipment replacements/additions in Voorhees are also planned, including the addition of a second linear accelerator and the permanent move indoors of the PET/CT from the outdoor trailer. Almost all of the funding is from outside grants designated for cancer care.
Ground-breaking for the Camden building is projected for Spring 2012 and occupancy by the last quarter of 2013. The Voorhees equipment projects will be carried out across 2012.