July 22, 2024
The UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center opened its second clinical hub on July 16, marking a significant milestone in cancer care for Orange County.
On the first day of operations, more than 160 patients received world-class care from specialists at the state-of-the-art facility, including 18 outpatient surgeries.
The new five-story, 225,000-square-foot Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building is designed to provide everything a patient needs in an environmentally friendly building close to home. A “one-stop shop” for cancer care and outpatient surgery services, it gives patients immediate access to a multidisciplinary team of experts in their specific disease, as well as all diagnostic and support services, ideally coordinated in a single visit.
“We are incredibly proud to open the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building,” said Chad T. Lefteris, president and CEO of UCI Health, Orange County’s only academic health system. “This center embodies our commitment to providing accessible, patient-centered care and bringing the most advanced cancer treatments to our community.”
Rancho Santa Margarita resident Wendy Garcia was among the first patients on Tuesday. “It’s so beautiful,” she said of the Irvine building. “It’s so gorgeous and so vibrant. Just look at the view!”
Garcia also is delighted that it is much closer to home than UCI Medical Center in Orange, where she has been receiving treatment for plasma cell myeloma, including a stem cell transplant with Oncologist Dr. Stefan O. Ciurea, director of the UCI Health Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program.
Orange County’s only program for adult stem cell transplantation — commonly known as a bone marrow transplant — has performed more than 200 procedures since it opened in May 2020. The complex procedure will also become available at the UCI Health — Irvine campus when its 144-bed inpatient hospital opens next year.
Reimagining cancer care for all of Orange County
The new cancer center instantly becomes the most advanced outpatient cancer care facility on the West Coast, said Dr. Richard A. Van Etten, director of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 57 in the country with the prestigious “comprehensive” rating from the National Cancer Institute — and the only one based in Orange County.
It also triples the capacity of the existing flagship center in Orange and its satellite locations to better serve cancer patients throughout the region.
By design, the Irvine center integrates cancer research and prevention with the most advanced diagnostics, treatments and rehabilitation programs to deliver patient-centered care, all under one roof.
Key features:
State-of-the-art women’s health center: Providing specialized care to meet the unique needs of women.
Infusion center: Featuring more than 40 infusion bays, including many in private rooms, and beautiful views of the adjacent San Joaquin Marsh Reserve.
Advanced surgical techniques: Providing the latest outpatient procedures, including prostate cancer treatment with same-day discharge.
Extensive clinical trials: Already offering the most clinical trials in the region, the new facility will expand access to even more of the latest therapies.
Personalized radiation therapy: Access to the most advanced technologies, including an MRI linear accelerator and specialized therapy for liver cancer.
Comprehensive imaging center: Equipped with the latest MRI, PET, CT, ultrasound and interventional radiology services.
Outpatient surgical suites and private exam rooms: Eight outpatient surgical suites and 52 private exam rooms.
Convenient amenities: Retail pharmacy, laboratory and coffee shop for patients, visitors and staff.
Meeting the demand
Van Etten said the Irvine center is poised to help UCI Health meet the region’s increasing demand for cancer services. He is recruiting at least 30 new cancer specialists to join the team to ensure that every patient receives the most advanced care for their specific cancer.
The new facility’s proximity to the university campus also will make it easier for clinicians to join forces with scientists, fostering innovation and breakthrough discoveries. Many of the cancer center’s researchers already have made landmark advances that have improved the standard of care for some types of cancer.
The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building is the second location to open at the $1.3 billion UCI Health — Irvine medical complex at Jamboree Road and Birch Street. The Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care Center opened in late April. The final phase of the Irvine medical complex, a 144-bed acute care hospital complete with a 24-hour emergency department, is scheduled to open in 2025.
