Here’s what $10M donation means for future of UK HealthCare’s Markey Cancer Center
UK HealthCare will use a $10 million donation from Central Bank to expand patient care offered by the Markey Cancer Center, the board of trustees announced this week.
The $10 million gift from Central Bank is the largest in UK HealthCare history, and will be used to develop a new complex across from UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital on South Limestone. The proposed expansion to the Cancer Center includes 260,000 square feet for services like outpatient clinics, a parking structure, outpatient operating rooms and laboratory and diagnostic space, according to UK.
The Board of Trustees approved purchase of the land where the new complex will be located (currently residential plots of land) at the December board meeting.
UK President Eli Capilouto called cancer “a formidable foe” and said investment in the cancer center will help move Kentucky forward. It also means that residents will not have to leave the state to receive treatment, Capilouto said.
“Cancer represents an area where our ingenuity and innovation are most needed,” Capilouto said. “Kentucky leads the nation in cancer incidence and mortality. As such, we are determined to meet this moment — to channel our fierce resolve and address this stubborn and heartbreaking challenge.”
Joan Kincaid, owner of Central Bank, first gave to the UK Markey Cancer Center in 1979, and donations from Kincaid and Central Bank to UK exceed $20 million, according to UK. Speaking at a board committee meeting on Thursday, chairman/president and CEO of Central Bank Luther Deaton said the expanded Cancer Center is needed in Kentucky, and the donation is an important contribution toward fighting cancer.
“Too many Kentucky families have been devastated by cancer, and it is our hope that this gift will help future generations of Kentuckians avoid this terrible diagnosis,” Deaton said.
The Markey Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated center in Kentucky. Since 2013, outpatient clinic visits have increased by 57%. More than 120,000 patients visited the center in fiscal year 2021, according to UK.
“While this growth is tremendous, we need to increase our physical footprint to continue expanding our potential, and most importantly, to further enhance the experience and care for our patients,” said Mark Newman, UK executive vice president for health affairs.
The announcement on Thursday also marked the launch of a campaign to raise $90 million for improving cancer care in Kentucky.
Mark Evers, director of Markey Cancer Center, said the new building is “a dream come true and will be hugely transformative for our state.”
“This new building will allow our patients to be dropped off at the front door, see their physician and obtain their lab work, X-rays and treatments, all in one place,” Evers said. “It will be a tremendous help and asset for our Markey patients.”