After just over a year of construction, the Kettering Cancer Center is now open for patients.
The new facility brings the future of cancer care to southwest Ohio, with the area’s largest private infusion treatment center and the state’s largest infusion pharmacy. It also includes specialized areas like a cafe with foods tailored to the nutritional needs of cancer patients and a boutique and spa offering specialty skin care products, wigs, and more.
“If there’s one word that summarizes this project, it’s courage,” said Elizabeth Garrison, executive director of the Oncology Service Line. “A ship is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not what it was built for. We decided to set sail.”
The facility was designed for patients by patients with the help of a patient advisory council. A group of 30 cancer patients, survivors, and their family members had monthly meetings with the Oncology Service Line to ensure the Kettering Cancer Center fulfilled its goal of treating the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. The council also gave members a chance to connect with people who had similar experiences.
“Meeting other cancer patients and talking with the people who are creating the new cancer center was wonderful, and I am grateful for their sincere effort to include the patient perspective to optimize the patient experience,” said Carrie Baker, DO, emergency medicine physician and patient advisory council member. “They have worked so hard to make the new cancer center amazing.”
Garrison expressed that the patient advisory council was a source of inspiration during the project.
“It’s their courage that inspired us to maintain our commitment, no matter the difficulty,” she said. “They taught us to be brave and that courage doesn’t mean you’re never afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.”
Network leadership, physicians, and the patient advisory council had a chance to celebrate the new space the week of December 5. Physicians got an exclusive look during a tour on December 6. Network and community leaders gathered on December 7 for a ribbon cutting, followed by a blessing of the rooms, where people prayed for healing in each room of the new cancer center.
More than 600 of the network’s employees supported the project through donations, and many more worked on the building itself while it was being developed. Kettering Health Network would like to thank everyone involved in the project for helping us fulfill our mission to improve the lives of our local community members.