HASTINGS — Mary Lanning Healthcare and the Morrison Cancer Center are launching the second phase of construction at the cancer center.
The first phase added a new CT scanner and a vault for a state-of-the-art linear accelerator for radiation treatments. The construction project was completed in February with testing of the new equipment currently in progress.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new project will take place Monday, May 2, at 10:30 a.m., just north of the Morrison Cancer Center, 815 N. Kansas Avenue. Various speakers will discuss the addition.
Bradley Dusatko, MLH Engineering Director, said the new project includes a 6,500-square-foot addition to the north side of the building.
The new area features seven private treatment rooms for chemotherapy patients. Currently, there are only two small private chemotherapy treatment areas.
“Now families will be able to sit with the patients while they undergo chemo,” Dusatko said. “And patients will have the option to sit in a recliner or lie in a bed.”
The Pharmacy Department also will have more space for preparing chemotherapy treatments.
McCarthy Building Companies of Omaha is the contractor and Leo A. Daly is the architect.
Mark Callahan, MLH Chief Operating Officer, said the entire project is geared toward patients and their families, hopefully making the time they spend at the cancer center a little more comfortable.
“In the last year, we added new space for the linear accelerator for more precise radiation treatments,” Callahan said. “Now we are focusing on making the building even more accommodating for our patients undergoing chemotherapy. We want patients and their families to feel as much at home as possible.”