Scripps Health has been granted $59 million to build its next cancer center. The center is to be named for the humanitarian, Conrad Prebys, who has already had multiple San Diego establishments named after him, such as the Conrad Prebys Music Center at UCSD and the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union at SDSU.
This state of the art center is a 40,000 square-foot, four-floor facility that has been designed to help serve patients in central and south San Diego. The new center will be Scripps Mercy Hospital’s second cancer center as part of their partnership with the University of Texas; the other center was built in Torrey Pines.
Before his death in mid-2016, Conrad Prebys had donated $20 million to Scripps Mercy Hospital and funded a large $5 million grant. The grant would be used for a medical director position in the University of Texas partnership. These donations and facility name were both announced on August 9.
The center will offer many cutting-edge cancer treatments. Patients will be able to receive forefront radiation therapy, which includes two linear accelerators. The accelerators are developed to distribute radiation therapy in a more accurate and time-friendly way.
A promising addition to the center’s design is a 20-chair infusion center. The infusion center will be a space for cancer patients to receive chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and other treatments. Most infusion centers are cramped because of the small number of chairs available for infusion, but the new center hopes to mitigate that issue by providing more chairs in a larger space.
Adjacent to the center, a 140-space parking garage is being designed with the hopes of opening by 2022.
To further support an environment of healing, the facility has been designed with floor-to-ceiling windows, nature-inspired artwork, and a “tree of hope” to exemplify healing and strength for patients. Specifically, the infusion center has been designed to be surrounded by three terraces for patients to enjoy from multiple seating areas inside and outside.
The center will be located on Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest and is expected to open to patients in the spring of 2022.
