August 28, 2009

New Mexico Business Weekly

UNM Cancer Ctr. pushes ‘on’ button
by Dennis Domrzalski NMBW Staff

Ten years ago, the University of New Mexico’s cancer treatment facilities, doctors, nurses and other staff were seeing 100 patients a day. Those patients logged 20,000 visits to the facilities every year.

Today, those facilities and doctors are seeing 375 patients a day and dealing with 90,000 patient visits a year.

Those statistics represent half of the adults and nearly all of the children in New Mexico who have been diagnosed with cancer. That patient load continues to grow, and UNM’s quarters and equipment have been cramped and stretched.

No more. On Aug. 31, the new, $90 million, 206,000-square-foot UNM Cancer Treatment and Clinical Research Facility will see its first patient.

Nearly 10 years in the making, the five-story center will serve as the hub of UNM’s Statewide Cancer Care Network and will have the room to support 200,000 patient visits a year.

“Our new, state-of-the-art facility is a welcoming and gracious healing space where the whole patient, not just their cancer, can be attended to,” said Dr., Cheryl Willman, director and CEO of the UNM Cancer Center. “We’re incredibly anxious to provide this world-class facility to all New Mexicans and we are thrilled to be opening our doors.”

The center was designed to treat the whole patient, Willman added. It has cancer diagnosis and imaging facilities, a cyclotron and radioisotope facility, three ambulatory surgery suites, a diagnostic clinical laboratory and more than 40 examination rooms on each floor.

It also features healing gardens, private alcoves, a reflective pool and a meditation chapel.

Ironically, the center was financed in part by New Mexico’s cigarette tax, which jumped several years ago from 21 cents a pack to 71 cents.

UNM sold $43 million worth of general obligation bonds against the tax’s revenue stream. The state Legislature pitched in $17 million, and UNM put in the rest, Willman said.

Construction started in May 2007, when officials from the university and the general contractor, Flintco Inc. of Albuquerque, broke ground.

The cancer center, which is on University Boulevard between Lomas and Indian School Road NE in Albuquerque, has four 1,000-square-foot radiation vaults where patients will receive radiation treatments.

At their thickest, the vaults’ walls contain seven feet of concrete, said Dustin Hammon, senior project manager for Flintco.

The two-inch thick concrete elevator shafts and stairwells have been built to help brace the building and posed a construction challenge, Hammon said.

The building is clad in one-inch-thick 10-foot by 3-foot concrete panels that help keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter, Hammon added.

“This building is unique. It’s one of those that you can find on the cover of an architectural magazine,” Hammon said.

The building was designed around New Mexico’s diverse cultures, and features wood, stone and other natural elements throughout. Roof-to-ground light chimneys provide each floor with sunlight.

The top floor contains a chemotherapy infusion suite that offers patients a view of the Sandia Mountains. Patients can get their infusions indoors or in the rooftop garden.

Although the first patient will be seen at the center on Aug. 31, equipment and staff will be moved in phases, and the facility won’t be fully operational for several months, Hammon said.

UNM Hospital CEO Steve McKernan said the center’s opening represents an historic moment for UNM Hospital.

“The new Cancer Center is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our doctors, nurses and staff who provide the care for the thousands of patients who we treat each year,” McKernan said. “On behalf of our UNM Hospital family, I want to thank all those who made this possible.”

At the height of construction, 230 people were working on the building, Hammon said. The job averaged 150 workers over two years, he added.

Willman said she was overjoyed that the center has been completed.

“I think all New Mexicans deserve a facility like this,” Willman said. “We’ve done it, and we are proud to be able to offer this service and treatment to New Mexicans.”

 

dfdomrzalski@bizjournals.com | 505.348.8306