Mayo Clinic Plans Radiation Oncology Treatment Center in Northfield

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic today announced plans to build a radiation oncology treatment center in Northfield, Minn. The $10 million facility is estimated to serve more than 200 cancer patients each year and enables opportunities for expanded cancer care in the region. Currently, 60 to 70 percent of patients who are expected use this facility travel to Mayo Clinic in Rochester to receive radiation oncology treatment. The new facility will allow those patients to receive their treatment as close to home as possible.

"This facility will significantly benefit cancer patients in the Northfield area who currently have to travel significant distances to receive radiation oncology services," says Robert Miller, M.D., of Mayo Clinic's Department of Radiation Oncology. "Anyone who's battled cancer or helped someone battle cancer understands how difficult it can be for patients who are often quite ill to travel great distances for daily treatments over several weeks. This facility is being planned solely to address the needs of our patients."

Mayo Radiation Oncology Center patients will have access to services provided by Northfield Hospital, such as laboratory specimen collection and testing, diagnostic imaging, chemotherapy and IV infusion administration, surgical procedures, nutritional therapy, medical social services consultations, rehabilitation services and hospice care. In addition, there may be opportunities for education partnerships with Mayo Clinic, Northfield Hospital and St. Olaf College with the development of this facility.

The facility will meet the requirements of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program, meaning it will be built with energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity in mind. Potential locations for the facility are currently being evaluated with the hope that construction can be completed by early summer 2011. When complete, the facility will employ approximately 12 people with high-quality jobs.

Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System have a solid track record of providing high-quality radiation oncology services to rural parts of the region. This program will support the Mayo Health System mission of delivering value-based health care backed by the knowledge and resources of Mayo Clinic. This is just one area of collaboration between Mayo Clinic, Mayo Health System and Northfield Hospital aimed at improving the care and services delivered in the area. In addition to this proposal, other activities underway include expanded Mayo Clinic cardiology outreach to Northfield and a new management services agreement between Mayo Health System and Northfield Hospital for management of the Northfield Family Health clinics.

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