2005/12/05 Council Agenda Packet

Planning Commission Meeting February 15, 2005 Page 7 Commissioner Olivers referred to the citizen's letters in the packet and wondered why the cancer center needed to be located on the block to the North instead of an off-site location. Mr. Shockey stated that the cancer center location had been discussed at length by the Providence team. He explained that the timing on the cancer center was urgent and that based on some standards and conditions in the 1988 Special Property Use permit, the Cancer Center was being designed in respect for the properties located on the west side of Wetmore Avenue. It is not as large (as buildings for the hospital expansion) and will be very close to the property line and sidewalk. If PEMC moved the cancer center, there would be significant delays and to move to an off-site location, would go against medical center master plans for the 21" century where there is a relationship of the cancer center to the acute care facility and its auxiliary services. In response to the comment that if the cancer center was moved, couldn't the replacement hospital locate onto the Wetmore block. He mentioned that the master plan expansion was based on an east west orientation, expanding out from the core building. If the building were built on the Wetmore Block, that structure would overwhelm the neighborhood to the west. Curt Whelan stated that there were medical planning reasons why the cancer center should be located near the main campus because chemotherapy is really creating a higher risk situation for cancer patients and that access to the main campus is important for the multi -discipline approach of cancer care. Commissioner Ebert asked if there were any more questions. There was no response. 5 minute break Citizen Comments Anthony Roon, MD, who is the current medical director of health care access for PEMC, has been the president of the medical staff, has been the president of the County medical society, and the medical director for trauma services for PEMC, stated that he had been a surgeon and physician in this community for 26 years. When he was the trauma director, he dealt with a lot of people in the emergency room and was disappointed that some of them had to go to other area hospitals which put those patients and their families to a great disadvantage. He stated that patients in the hospital do much better with their families directly around them and that they get better care because of better communication between the doctor, patient, and family. He stated that he was currently in charge of a clinic for under -served people. His patients are the poor and working poor and those patients are put at a great disadvantage when they cannot get care from their community. When those patients are turned away from PEMC, they are more at risk. He is in support of the hospitals plan. Bill Finley, 540 Alverson Blvd, supports the expansion of PEMC. He is a surgeon who specializes in the surgical management of cancer and has returned to Everett to provide surgical care to cancer patients and to participate in the development of a community based multi -disciplinary cancer care center. There have been some medical changes in their infrastructure including new facilities and renovation of existing structures; however, the hospital is at capacity. The need for cancer care is intense and the need will only be greater in the future. The lifetime risk at having a cancer diagnosis is about 1 in 3 with 1 in 5 dying of cancer. Even without the populations projected growth, the cancer care needs of the population will grow with the aging of our population. The purpose of a cancer center is to provide a multi- disciplinary approach to the management of malignancy. These services include radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology, diagnostic and therapeutic radiology, laboratory