Danette and Josh Swank attend groundbreaking for a proton beam cancer treatment center at OSF. They returned to Peoria as advocates for proton beam treatment after Josh underwent treatment at Mayo Clinic. (PHOTO BY DAVID ZALAZNIK)
Construction of the $237 million OSF Cancer Institute represents the largest capital campaign in the 144-year history of the OSF mission, said Bob Sehring, CEO of OSF HealthCare, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility.
Of the 38 proton beam centers across the United States, all have massive departments dedicated to securing insurance coverage, but at the OSF facility, proton beam therapy will be available to patients in need thanks to the OSF mission, said Dr. James McGee, medical director of OSF Healthcare oncology services.
The economic impact of the state-of-the-art treatment center will benefit Peoria and the entire central Illinois region, but for Josh and Danette Swank, the impact is personal.
When Josh was diagnosed with a rare form of tongue cancer, the couple researched care nationwide, rented a two-bedroom apartment in Rochester, Minn., and received proton beam therapy at the Mayo Clinic.
Treatment began in January 2018. Danette Swank, president of Philippi-Hagenbuch, commuted alternating weeks from her family business in Peoria to the apartment in Rochester. Family and friends from around the country filled in the other times so Josh was not on his own.
The treatment was successful, and the couple returned home to Peoria as advocates for bringing a proton beam here.
“This is an exciting day for patients and their families,” Josh Swank said at the groundbreaking. The proton beam is “not just a machine but a whole cancer treatment.”
Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, said “Healthcare is the pillar of our economy. People will be able to get care here and not live in Rochester, Minnesotta, for three months during their treatment. The economic ripple, the 300 construction jobs, the reputation of OSF regionally, statewide and nationally are all positive developments for Peoria. OSF is the largest healthcare system in the state of Illinois.”
The project is one of the largest construction projects in the Peoria area in recent history.
Dr. Bento Soares, senior associate dean for research and chairman of the department of cancer biology and pharmacology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, said the project will strengthen an already robust collaboration between the medical school and the hospital and further research opportunities to attract specialists to Peoria from around the world.
The first treatments at the new facility could be offered as early as 2023.
For information on making donations to help the Cancer Institute reach its fundraising goal, go to:
https://www.osfhealthcarefoundation.org/cancer-center-home/