NIU cancer facility should stand alone
Northern Illinois University's response to the recent tragedy on its DeKalb campus is a testament to the courage and strength of this wonderful institution.
One of NIU's branch campuses is in our community, and it has been an honor and a privilege to represent NIU - Naperville, and to work with them on issues of public interest. NIU has a long tradition of excellence, and NIU plans to continue this tradition by developing an advanced accelerator proton cancer therapy treatment center in the Technology Park of DuPage County.
NIU's efforts to develop this life-saving treatment facility have been going forward for more than four years. They recently received their certificate to operate the facility from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, and I understand construction will begin shortly. NIU is a state owned and operated institution; in other words all the residents in Illinois, including you and me, are the owners.
We should be proud of NIU's outstanding credentials in the field of applied physics and medical technology education, and NIU's ongoing partnership with Fermilab in the field of neutron therapy. No other facility, hospital or institution in the state is better qualified for the proton treatment center.
I just learned a second proposed proton therapy facility, owned by an out-of-state firm, could be located just five miles from NIU's facility and that concerns me. Only five of these highly advanced and expensive facilities exist in the entire country, and it does not make sense to me that two of them will be so close. I fear the two facilities in such close proximity to each other holds the potential for both of them to fail.
Given current demand, I believe our own NIU facility can more than handle the anticipated patient load. The way I see it, if the demand was so great right now, there would already be a dozen more of these centers around the country.
I hope the Health Facilities Board recognizes the potential that both facilities could fail, if two identical centers are allowed to operate so close to each other. NIU's facility is already approved, so let's wait a year, or two, and look at the data before we approve a second facility.
For now, those patients who can benefit from this life saving therapy can rest assured our own NIU facility will meet their needs.
James D. Healy
DuPage County Board Member
District 5-Aurora-Naperville-Lisle