by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
The Board of Regents gave its approval Tuesday to begin building a $53.2 million Cancer Research and Treatment Center starting in October.
Dr. Cheryl Willman, director of the center, said the building would be occupied by November or December of 2008.
Phase 1 of the project, the construction of a five-story, 140,748-square-foot building, will be added on to Outpatient Surgery and Imaging Center on Camino de Salud Road, west of University Boulevard.
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The first floor of the center will include patient greeting areas, advanced cancer imaging and women's cancer screening. The second floor will be used for teaching facilities, and the third floor will house patient support services, patient waiting areas and teaching facilities.
The fourth floor will include a chemotherapy infusion suite with a view of the Sandia Mountains and garden terraces for families and patients to go outside. The ground floor will house a surgical procedure area and radiation oncology.
The $24 million needed for phase 2 of the project has not been funded yet but includes the construction of the 16,126-square-foot Cancer Education Center for $6.4 million and a 35,342-square-foot cancer administration and faculty office building for about $13.1 million.
Regent Mel Eaves said Paul Roth, associate vice president for the Health Sciences Center, and Willman have been working on the project for 2 1/2 years. He said the building's construction will put New Mexico on the map when it comes to cancer research and treatment.
"This is one of the most significant projects the University has undertaken in recent years," he said.
