Edward launches campaign to expand Naperville Cancer Center

Due to a growing demand for services, the Edward Cancer Center is in need of more space to treat patients.

As a result, the Edward Foundation has launched a Campaign Against Cancer with the goal of funding a multiphase expansion that will increase the number of private treatment bays and exam rooms, and create a larger waiting area at Edward Cancer Center in Naperville at 120 Spalding Drive.

The Naperville location opened in 2005 and experienced rapid growth from patients from the far South and Western suburbs seeking treatment. In response, Edward added a Cancer Center in Plainfield in 2009.

However, even with two facilities, Edward is unable to meet the growing demand for cancer services and is reaching capacity at its Naperville location, where in 2015 alone there were more than 56,000 patient visits. In the past two years in Naperville, Edward has seen a 35 percent increase in medical oncology patients and a 10 percent increase in the number of patients who need infusion therapy.

"Edward needs to expand in Naperville to keep up with current demand and future projections, and deliver the programs and services our patients need," says Meghan Moreno, executive director of the Edward Foundation. "We all know someone who has been touched by cancer. A gift will help keep these services close to home for many in our community."

To make the expansion possible, the Foundation is raising money through its Campaign Against Cancer. Among the donation options are naming opportunities for a variety of locations throughout the Cancer Center in Naperville, including the multidisciplinary registration area, private treatment room for extended treatment, exam/family consult room, procedure/exam rooms and others.

When the expansion is complete in 2018, the Edward Cancer Center in Naperville will include:

• 34 infusion bays. This will include two new private treatment bays that will be sized to accommodate a hospital bed, along with four new sub-nurse stations that will be integrated within the open infusion area and a new central infusion nursing station.

• 20 exam rooms. Eleven exam rooms will be added to accommodate growing volumes and provide space for physician specialists from academic medical centers to care for patients at Edward. One exam room will be slightly larger and serve as space for patient, family and physician consultations.

• A larger waiting area. The registration and waiting area on the second floor of the Naperville Cancer Center will expand to more comfortably accommodate patients and their families. The registration area will also be modified for increased privacy to better serve our patients.

For information about the Campaign Against Cancer, call Moreno at (630) 527-5956 or Eileen Belokin, manager of major gifts, at (630) 527-3918.

The Edward Foundation was established in 1990 and has raised more than $40 million in its mission to support Edward Hospital's community health care initiatives, including free services and health and wellness programs; centers of excellence like Edward Heart Hospital and Edward Cancer Center; and programs that make Edward unique, like the Ronald McDonald Family Room.

To make a donation to or for more information about the Foundation, call (630) 527-3954 or visit www.EdwardFoundation.org.