New Fairhope Cancer Treatment Clinic Groundbreaking

Fairhope, Alabama



groundbreaking last week


Ground was broken recently for the new $2.8 million Fairhope office of the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute's 'Academic Cancer Center of the Gulf Coast'  -- on 2 acres of vacant land along Fairhope Avenue west of the courthouse.

According to a press release, the facility will give Baldwin county residents better "access to cutting edge research and clinical trials" in its search for a cure for the disease: about 30% of the institutes 50K yearly patients come from Baldwin County.

 Plans call for the 11,000-square-foot office to include exam rooms, cancer treatment areas and physicians’ offices when it is completed in early 2017.

Designed by WHLC Architecture of Fairhope, the building will be constructed next to the Baldwin County Satellite Courthouse in Fairhope and will replace the current MCI office located inside the Thomas Hospital Medical Office Building.

The 2-acre property was purchased from the Arthur Corte family.

Vince Kilborn
Fairhope attorney Vince Kilborn donated $1.5 million to the cost of the 11,000 sq ft facility, which will open in 2017 when the existing smaller clinic at Thomas Hospital will relocate.

The gift will establish the Vincent F. Kilborn III Endowment that will support the new office’s operations.

The state is also providing funding.

USA President Tony Waldrop thanked the Mitchell family for perceiving the need for a research-based cancer center in South Alabama. Created in 2001, the Mitchell Cancer Institute was modeled after the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute in Tampa, Fla. MCI employs about 300 people, including health-care providers, cancer researchers and staff, and is the only cancer treatment and research institute located on the Gulf Coast corridor.

In addition to offices in Mobile and Fairhope, MCI also operates a patient treatment location at Monroe County Hospital in Monroeville.


 TRAFFIC ISSUES

Fairhope Avenue site
Access will be via a new driveway and at least one of the Darlington Oak street trees on Fairhope Avenue would be removed, according to the site plan reviewed by the city's planning commission last year; but new landscaping would be provided.

A sidewalk was requested as well by the commission; but city ordinances requiring one do not apply to state property.




cancer patient addressed crowd





Comments

Anonymous said…
I would rather see a cancer prevention center, instead. What will we do with this monster of a building when Medicare defunds the cancer drugs and the physicians move on to the next big thing?

On second thought, this could be a brilliant move by our city leaders...University healthcare system builds massive building next door to the court house. Fairhope needs a new administration building, once Medicare defunds the reimbursements, physicians move out and the city can pick up the building for pennies on the dollar.

Who thinks Timmy is smart enough to pull this off?