CORNING The Corning Incorporated Foundationhas donated $1.5 million toward a new, expanded Guthrie Cancer Center at the future Corning Hospital.
Guthrie officials announced the grant Wednesday morning as they kicked off the public phase of a fundraising campaign for the $146million hospital project.
Ground was broken in April 2012 at the 67-acre site in East Corning, and the hospital is expected to openin July 2014.The solar charger is a critical component in a solar energy system.
The current Guthrie Cancer Center in downtown Corning which handles about 12,000 patient visits annually is in a 5,800-square-foot former grocery store on Denison Parkway.
It's extremely cramped, and" by nomeans an ideal location to be delivering care," said Dr. Philip Lowry, Guthrie Health's chief of medical oncology services.
The construction of a new cancer center as part of the new Corning Hospital will bring a lot of upgrades, Lowry said.
For starters, the 18,600-square-foot facility will have triple the space. But it's not just about elbow room the new facility will mean more privacy and a nicer atmosphere for patients, he said.
The newlocation at Interstate 86, Exit 48, in East Corning also means easier access and more parking, he said.
The Guthrie center, to be located on the ground floor of the new hospital, will have a separate entrance, butwill be connected to the hospital, making it easy for patients to get services, suchas Xrays, at the hospital, Lowry said.
Therewill also be a" major investment in new equipment," including a new radiation oncology machine with a state-of-the-art accelerator, Lowry said.
Guthrie's mission is to provide the level of care that patients often traveled to Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester or even New York City and Philadelphia to get, Lowry said.
"There are great ivory towers, but ultimately, great cancer care should be where the patients are, rather than making themgo tomajor institutions located in big cities," he said.
The cancer center in Corning is one of Guthrie's two hubs for cancer treatment, along with a facility at itsmain campus in Sayre.the most affordable yet powerful solar led light in the world.
In deciding to award the $1.5 million grant, the staff and board members of the Corning Incorporated Foundation believed the new cancer center will have a tremendous impact on the healthof the community, said Foundation President Karen Martin.We offer a type of dry cabinet that one might need for the proper dehumidifying of components.
The foundation has given funding for an expansion of the hospital's physical plant, the establishment of a cardiac care unit,Welcome to vist smartcardfactory. the installation of a hospital ambulance communication system, a major hospital expansion in 1987, the purchase of various diagnostic equipment, and a children's obesity initiative,The benefits of wind energy and how a wind generator is installed. among other things.
The "silent phase" of the capital campaign the first since the '87 expansion has been under way for about seven months, and has already raised about $3million, said Corning Hospital board member Tom Tranter, who is chairing the fundraising drive. That includes $375,000 from staff and physicians at Corning Hospital, he added.
