Saint Francis heart and cancer institute opening early

The $84 million Heart Hospital and Cancer Institute will open next month ahead of schedule and under budget, according to Steven Bjelich, president and CEO of Saint Francis Medical Center.

It's dedicated to treat heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in Missouri and nationwide, Bjelich said.

The 208,000-square-foot facility, connected to the existing medical center, will help meet increasing demand in those areas created by aging baby boomers and federal health care reform giving more people access to health insurance, Bjelich said.

A public open house is planned for 1 to 3 p.m. June 26. The facility will open to patients July 5.

Kiefner Brothers Construction Co. of Cape Girardeau served as the general contractor on the project, which Bejlich said is the largest private construction project in the city to date.

Vince Glueck, PET/CT technologist, talks about the new PET/CT facility at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. On Saturday, Saint Francis held a construction crew and family open house for its Heart Hospital and Cancer Institute, which is scheduled to open in July. For more photos, visit semissourian.com. (Kristin Eberts)

Since work began in 2008, 360 full-time employees of local contractors and 45 Saint Francis construction employees have been involved in the construction.

"It has kept an awful lot of construction and trade workers working through a down economy," Bjelich said.

Since the recession began, the medical center has spent $120 million on construction projects, including upgrades to its Gene E. Huckstep Emergency and Trauma Center, Family Birth Place, Womancare Center and Center for Digestive Diseases, Bjelich said.

Seventy positions were added to staff the new facility, and more than 200 of the medical center's existing staff will relocate to the Heart Hospital Cancer Institute.

The facility has the latest technology in both its diagnostic systems and treatment options, but Bjelich said the staff will be what makes the difference for patients.

"We can build beautiful buildings that house magnificent technology, but the difference comes down to our staff and the compassion they provide to patients and families," Bjelich said.

The design of the facility is the result of a collaboration of physicians, hospital staff and patients.

"We literally had weekly meetings on the design of the building to discuss patient flow, how they would access the building, how they would flow between departments, and how families would support their loved ones," Bjelich said. "We did look at other facilities, but they are not designed the way we designed this."

Patients and their families also took part in focus groups, and that input was used in developing the design.

A similar process was used for the design of the medical center's emergency department, which tripled in size when its final phase opened in February.

Heart Hospital

The 60-bed Heart Hospital has six ultrasound rooms, 60 private acute care rooms and a 10-bed cardiac intensive care unit.

The Heart Hospital has five cardiac catheterization labs where doctors will diagnose heart patients and an electrodiagnostic lab in the Heart Hospital's Arrhythmia Center where doctors will use an advanced 3-D visualization tool to diagnose heart conditions. Bjelich said Saint Francis it is one of the first in the world to use the technology.

The design of the Heart Hospital will allow for easy access from the emergency department and into surgery.

Cancer Institute

The Cancer Institute brings together physician offices and treatment services that were previously in separate buildings on Mount Auburn Road and in Doctors' Park.

The third level of the building will house the 35 chemotherapy treatment stations and four private rooms. The offices of Cape Medical Oncology will relocate to the third floor.

"To have labs, scans and radiation all under one roof makes it so much more convenient, especially for cancer patients who are so sick. It takes a whole lot of effort for them to go from one place to another," said Dr. Olivia Aranha of Cape Medical Oncology.

Being connected to the main medical center building means patients can receive blood infusions or be admitted to the hospital for inpatient care without having to go to another location, she said.

The institute has one of only four CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery systems in Missouri and one of only about 100 in the country. The CyberKnife allows physicians to use beams of radiation to specifically target cancerous cells while keeping nearby healthy tissue intact, Bjelich said.

The Cancer Institute will have a PET/CT imaging scanner and two linear accelerators that provide radiation therapy. They will be on the building's lower level along with imaging services, a laboratory and a boutique with products to help cancer patients.

Sheri House, community manager of health initiatives with the American Cancer Society, said her organization is working with Saint Francis to help provide wigs, turbans and scarves at the boutique.

Volunteers who have been trained by both the hospital auxiliary and the American Cancer Society will work with patients to provide information and emotional support, she said.

In the 14 counties of Southeast Missouri, more than 1,800 people have some form of cancer and most of them travel to Cape Girardeau for treatment, House said.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

211 Saint Francis Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO