Vancouver Island Cancer Centre still on track to open March 6, 2001

VICTORIA - Equipment and furnishings are moving into the new Vancouver Island Cancer Centre at a rapid rate this fall, in preparation for opening in March 2001. More than $18 million in equipment will arrive over the next few months, with just over $14 million of that for the radiation therapy program.

"It is terrific to be at this stage of the project," says Dr. Brian Weinerman, BC Cancer Agency vice president, regional services, Vancouver Island. "We are ahead of our original schedule, which allows us to open a month earlier then expected. Even that date can't come fast enough, for both our staff and our long suffering patients, so many of whom had to wait for long periods for radiotherapy, or be separated from their families in order to receive treatment.

The new VICC will have increased treatment capacity for both chemotherapy and particularly radiation therapy. The current centre has what amounts to 2.6 machines. The new centre will open with four state of the art machines, with a fifth added in the fall and a sixth likely in 2002.

The VICC is part of the BC Cancer Agency, the provincial organization responsible for delivering cancer care to British Columbians. The agency is currently establishing and upgrading an integrated network of radiation therapy equipment and software in four centers, including the new facility in Victoria. New equipment will be installed in the new $45 million facility for Vancouver Island Cancer Centre in Victoria and the Fraser Valley Cancer Centre in Surrey. New software will be provided for all four centers, including the Cancer Centre for the Southern Interior in Kelowna and the Vancouver Cancer Centre, through a shared fiberoptic network. The agency treats more than 12,000 patients across the province each year, including 10,000 who receive radiation therapy.

The BC Cancer Agency partnered with the British Columbia Buildings Corporation for the construction phase of the project. That partnership resulted in the building being built just ahead of schedule, allowing for the earlier opening next spring. Funds for the facility are provided by the Ministry of Health.

In addition to cancer treatment and support programs, the new VICC will house a research unit, creating lab space specifically for Cancer Researchers on Vancouver Island. This unit will help Island patients be part of the revolution we are starting to see with the full description of human DNA. Funds for the research unit are being by the BC Cancer Foundation, through the Daring to Believe Campaign.