South Bay Patients to Benefit from Expanded Access to Clinical Trials and Subspecialists through Cedars-Sinai Affiliation
TORRANCE, CA, June 20, 2018 – Today, Torrance Memorial Medical Center broke ground on the Hunt Cancer Center, a 37,000-square-foot facility, designed to consolidate and strengthen cancer care in the South Bay. The center is named after the late Donald Hunt, founder of South Bay-based Hunt Enterprises, and his wife Priscilla. Hunt Cancer Center patients will benefit from Torrance Memorial’s recent affiliation with Cedars-Sinai through access to new and innovative clinical trials and a team of subspecialists who treat more than 60 types of cancer, from common to rare to complex.
“My staff and I become emotional when we think about what this means to our patients and our community,” Hugo Hool, MD, chairman of Torrance Memorial’s oncology committee, director of the Hunt Cancer Institute and a physician at the Torrance Memorial Physician Network – Cancer Care medical group, said. “We will have the most advanced infusion capabilities and expand our complimentary medicine repertoire. It will improve cross-disciplinary collaboration and of course add Cedars-Sinai’s vast expertise to our excellent care in the South Bay. Clinical trials will be broadly expanded and strengthened across all cancer types. We couldn’t be more excited for the South Bay and its residents.”
At today’s ground breaking celebration hospital donors, cancer survivors and dignitaries viewed a display of nearly 1,000 signatures of Torrance Memorial cancer survivors.
Scheduled for completion in June, 2019, the center designed by c/a ARCHITECTS of Long Beach, will include a private underground parking garage designed to provide oncology patients direct access to the lobby to help preserve their privacy and dignity during visits. The interior of the cancer center is designed to provide a hopeful environment, integrating natural light with calming shades of blues and greens associated with healing and reflective of its proximity to the beach and ocean.
“We put a great deal of thought into the design of this new building—both from our patient’s perspective as well as the clinical aspects. Unlike other hospitals where oncology patients have to travel through the hospital’s main lobby, we wanted to create a more private and customized arrival experience,” Craig Leach, president and CEO, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, said.
The Hunt Cancer Center consolidates under one roof much of Torrance Memorial’s comprehensive Hunt Cancer Institute program and is triple the size of the current oncology area. The clinic spaces are designed with spacious exam rooms that allow the practitioners, patients and multiple family members an interactive environment for the discussion and diagnosis of their care. Genetic counseling and oral drug dispensing will also be available onsite.
The center will offer a 32-station infusion center located on the second floor and is surrounded by windows to allow natural light during treatment. Each patient will have their own generously-sized station with access to a multimedia info-tainment system and room for a supportive guest if needed during treatment. The center’s location adjacent to the Polak Imaging Pavilion will grant added convenience for patients in need of diagnostic imaging.
The center is the new home of the highly-acclaimed Torrance Memorial Physician Network – Cancer Care (TMPN), which has served South Bay cancer patients and their families for more than 50 years. TMPN offers a team of than 70 plus highly-trained personnel and practitioners, ranging from physicians active in cancer research to chemotherapy-certified nurses to fully licensed medical assistants to laboratory technologists.
Hunt Cancer Center patients will continue to benefit from the comprehensive services offered through Torrance Memorial’s Hunt Cancer Institute. These range from cutting edge diagnostic tools, such as 3D mammography, to a multidisciplinary tumor board, which closely reviews and discussed tumor images and complex oncology cases with a team approach to treatment. It also offers the advanced tools available, such as the TrueBeam® Radiotherapy System, known for delivering radiation with extraordinary high precision to spare healthy tissue, and the da Vinci® Surgical System, also called the da Vinci robot, which takes the least invasive surgical approach available.
The Hunt family, whose real estate company portfolio includes more than 4,000 residential units, industrial buildings, shopping centers among other assets has pledged $34 million to Torrance Memorial—the second largest family gift in the more than 90-year history of the medical center.
“I often use the expression ‘health is wealth,’” Priscilla Hunt said. “Thanks to care received at Torrance Memorial, our long-time receptionist Angela at Hunt Enterprises survived stage-four cancer and is back at work today. My sister’s life was extended long enough to see her first grandchild born. Because I have the means to give, I am doing so to help others have more time with the people they care about and to receive the best care available without having to travel long distances.”
ABOUT THE HUNT CANCER INSTITUTE
The Hunt Cancer Institute at Torrance Memorial is a fully accredited cancer program by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Its community of cancer experts provides highly-skilled care and compassionate support and services, through the journey of cancer treatment and beyond. From screening through diagnosis and treatment into survivorship, the Hunt Cancer Institute is fully dedicated to the principle of complete care for people with cancer and their loved ones.
ABOUT TORRANCE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER
Founded in 1925 by Jared Sidney and Helena Childs Torrance, Torrance Memorial Medical Center is a 512-bed, nonprofit medical center established to provide quality health care services predominantly to the residents of the South Bay, Peninsula and Harbor communities. Torrance Memorial seeks to offer the most current and effective medical technologies rendered in a compassionate, caring manner. No longer just a hospital, today Torrance Memorial Medical Center includes an extensive integrated system of physicians and comprehensive medical services to provide coordinated communication and continuum of care. Torrance Memorial is affiliated with Cedars-Sinai under the umbrella of Cedars-Sinai Health System. Torrance Memorial’s nursing program has earned coveted Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes nursing excellence. U.S. News & World Report also ranked Torrance Memorial as one of the best hospitals for 2017-18 in California and the Los Angeles metro area for the sixth straight year. For more information, please visit: www.TorranceMemorial.org.
ABOUT c/a ARCHITECTS
c|a ARCHITECTS is a 40-person health care design firm, providing full architectural and interior design services as well as space planning, lean planning and master planning services. From landmark medical campuses to intimate imaging suites, c|a ARCHITECTS has specialized in California medical design for the last 26 years. The firm continues to plan and design exceptional environments that promote healing while meeting the industry’s planning, efficiency and technical demands. c|a ARCHITECTS’ ingenuity, technical expertise and attention to detail consistently place its projects at the forefront of cutting-edge design. This is achieved through an extensive knowledge and talent base, as well as a collaborative environment, passion for outstanding results and dedicated customer service.
CONTACT:
Colleen Farrell, Manager, Marketing and Communications
Phone: 310-517-4706
E-mail: colleen.farrell@tmmc.com
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