HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

March 5, 2008
Huntsman Cancer Institute announces expansion
Additional Space Doubles Hospital Capacity

Salt Lake City—Officials of the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) today announced the highlights of plans to significantly expand the cancer specialty hospital.

Jon M. Huntsman, HCI’s founder and principal benefactor, said, "Expansion has long been part of our vision for Huntsman Cancer Institute. We have worked hard to donate or raise the funds necessary to proceed with this great project. Most of the cancer cases undertaken here are acute or more advanced than can be effectively treated at even the finest community hospitals. Patients are coming to the Huntsman Cancer Institute from Utah, the country and the world with hopes that the specialized technology and the latest developments from our research and clinical trials will save their lives. Expansion is critical to our having ample treatment rooms and hospital beds that will allow their hopes to be fulfilled."

The expansion will double inpatient capacity from 50 beds to 100, and will double existing imaging and radiation treatment facilities and operating rooms. It will house the new Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant and Myeloma Program and expanded Cancer Learning and Wellness Centers. It will also accommodate expanded clinical trials and enhance patient access to promising new treatments.

"Expanding the Huntsman Cancer Hospital was a carefully considered joint decision by the leadership of the University of Utah and the Huntsman family," said Michael Young, President, University of Utah. "The need for better treatments for this devastating disease drives the urgency of this expansion, which will allow HCI researchers to develop more clinical trials and enroll more patients in those studies—both necessary steps in the discovery of new treatments."

The proposed expansion is the third major construction phase for HCI. The first phase, a 225,000-square-foot facility for research labs and outpatient services, opened in 1999. The second phase, a 276,344-square-foot inpatient hospital, opened in 2004. Programming and design of the six-story, 120,000-square-foot addition will begin immediately, and construction should start later this year.

"This is an exciting opportunity to further integrate our outstanding cancer research and clinical care," said Mary Beckerle, Ph.D., Executive Director, HCI. "The expansion will enhance the promise of translational research, bringing the latest treatments discovered in our laboratories to the bedsides of our patients without delay."

When completed in 2011, the addition will extend from the northeast corner of the existing hospital, which is located on the campus of the University of Utah as part of the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics System (UHC).

"Huntsman Cancer Institute is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top cancer hospitals in the United States," said Janet Bingham, Ph.D., President, Huntsman Cancer Foundation. "HCI’s dedication to relieving the suffering of cancer patients can be seen in excellent patient care, commitment to obtaining the latest imaging and treatment technology, and the training of future physicians and researchers. This expansion will help to achieve these goals."

About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Established in 1995, Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) serves the needs of cancer patients and their families with research, education, and treatment. HCI is a nationally recognized cancer research center that also offers patient care for all types of cancer, as well as education and outreach for ways to prevent and treat cancer. HCI was founded on the principle of translational research, which means that basic scientists, clinical researchers, and cancer patients are brought together in an environment that allows for rapid translation of laboratory discoveries into effective new treatments in an atmosphere of hope and compassion.

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