Cancer Physicians Break Ground on 48,000-Square-Foot Facility on the Lutheran Hospital Campus

April 10, 2006

The physicians of Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology are building a $7 million, 48,000-square-foot comprehensive cancer center on the Lutheran Hospital campus.  The state of the art facility will be attached to Medical Office Building Two on the southern half of the medical park. Physician and hospital leaders are eager to initiate this important new era in cancer care for patients in our region.
 
“This facility is a shared vision with the doctors of Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology & Lutheran Hospital,” said Steven Rhinehart, MD, Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology.  “The Lutheran campus with its wealth of services is the ideal location.”     
 
Future tenants of the facility include Lutheran Hospital, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Indiana Surgical Specialists.  With physicians from Radiation Oncology Associates already located in MOB Two, the ability to bring a broad spectrum of cancer services to one location is within reach.
 
“The development of this comprehensive cancer center is recognition by both the physician community and Lutheran executive management to continue to provide quality care in a way that also improves the patient experience – a vision that is here to stay,” states Praveen Kollipara, MD, Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology.  “We are hopeful that the impact on patient and community satisfaction will be substantial and positive.”
 
The comprehensive cancer center will include resources for treatment, research and support.  A two-story atrium will greet patients and guests as they enter the building, which is designed to feature an ample amount of natural light.  Countless hours have been dedicated by project team members to address each element of total patient care.       
 
Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology will have offices and an imaging suite on the center’s first floor.  A cancer resource center for Lutheran, including a multidisciplinary clinic, will also be located on the ground level.  The new cancer resource center will signal the transition of the Women’s Cancer Center at Lutheran Hospital to an area that provides services for men as well as women.    
 
The second floor will consist of finished and future space for pediatric oncology services offered through Lutheran Children’s Hospital; Lutheran’s outpatient chemotherapy suite; physician offices for Indiana Surgical Specialists; space for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a conference center. 
 
“This facility will bring under one roof many of the physicians and professionals patients in this region turn to for great cancer care,” said Tom Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Lutheran Hospital.  “Our ongoing partnership with the medical oncologists and radiation oncologists is another example of the work being done right here in northeast Indiana to provide unsurpassed healthcare.  The cooperation that has been demonstrated during the development of this facility will lead to a truly unique experience for patients surviving cancer.” 
 
Architects for the facility are from Hoch Associates and the general contractor is Weigand Construction.  Work is scheduled to be completed by February 2007