By John Flood

Construction of an 8,100-square-foot cancer center in the Melchor Pavilion office building on the El Camino Hospital (ECH) campus began Nov. 10. The ECH board of directors approved the $2.6 million budget for the project at its Nov. 8 meeting.

The center, including an outpatient lab and radiology services, is scheduled for completion by May, according to Ken King, vice president of facilities.

ECH offers a range of cancer services now, but not in one physical location, such as a wing or a separate unit, said Judy Twitchell, media relations manager. The current services include surgery, radiation oncology, oncology nursing unit, diagnostic services and mammography. They will remain in their current locations at the hospital.

“The new cancer center will house services for outpatients, including lab, radiology and an infusion center for chemotherapy treatments,” Twitchell said.

Additional services will include a genetic counseling service, consultation rooms, a store, coffee service and a concierge to coordinate services for patients and offer information about additional services available in the community.

“The cancer center is not just about providing clinical services for cancer. It is geared toward helping the whole cancer program flow smoothly for patients and providing them an extra measure of care and comfort,” Twitchell said. “Cancer patients and their families have expressed that feeling cared for and having the hassles smoothed out at this time is very important to them.”

King provided a construction update on the new hospital at the meeting. Steel erection will begin Dec. 11, one week ahead of schedule. Site utilities, concrete footings and wall pours will continue for the next several weeks.

The board unanimously approved the offering of $120 million in general obligation bonds in 2007 to continue financing the construction of the new hospital.

CEO Ken Graham provided an update on several ECH awards: the 2006 Solucient 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success Study; the YMCA Activate America Award; and the Professional Research Consultants ranking ECH in the top 10 percent in a number of patient service areas, including nursing, pathology services, executive leadership and inpatient surgical services.