MEDFORD, Ore.,--Asante is moving forward with plans to build a new cancer center off of E Barnett Rd in Medford. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Oregon and each year, there are an increase of new cases being diagnosed in the Rogue Valley.
The proposed building site is about 250 yards away from the Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. It's on Asante-owned property. It wouldn't offer cancer patients new services, yet pull all the services into one building instead of spread out to several locations.
Kristi Blackhurst is the Vice President of Operations at Asante and says the goal is to make care more convenient and accessible.
"Asante really felt like we could do a better job of delivering more comprehensive care to our cancer patients under one roof," said Blackhurst.
But the cancer center hasn't been approved yet. It is being discussed in the City of Medford's Commissioner meeting Thursday evening. This is just one step in the approval process.
If the cancer center is approved, Blackhurst says the building will be about 80,000 square feet. She hopes construction will start in early 2020.
