Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, RWJBarnabas Health break ground on new cancer hospital
Construction on the new Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey began Thursday morning with a ceremonial groundbreaking for New Jersey’s first freestanding cancer hospital, according to an article from Rutgers Today.
The hospital will be called the Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, after New Brunswick development philanthropists Jack Morris and his wife Sheryl Morris, according to the article. It will offer inpatient and outpatient services and research laboratories, which will provide educational opportunities for students and a way for physician-scientists to apply the latest findings and treatments to patients.
The 510,000-square-foot, 12-story facility will also grant easier access to diagnostic tests, treatments and follow-up exams, according to the article. It will be able to offer wellness and education resources, including for cancer survivors.
“There is nothing that feels better or more gratifying than helping others in need,” Jack Morris said. “Cancer touches the lives of everyone — and we believe that people should not have to travel to New York or Pennsylvania to get great cancer care. It has been our vision, our hope and our dream to have the top cancer center in the nation right here in New Brunswick.”
The center will be on Somerset Street next to the already existing Rutgers Cancer Institute and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, according to the article.
Construction for the $750 million project is expected to finish in 2024, according to the article.
“With the RWJBarnabas health system we are looking forward to a healthier future in which our citizens can receive all the care that they need without ever leaving the state of New Jersey,” said Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian L. Strom. “Now, in our tireless quest to improve the life and health of our citizens, New Jersey opens another front in the war against disease, focused on cancer.”
