Release Date: 12/11/2008
Columbus, OH—Central Ohio’s four major hospital systems are undertaking a collaborative effort to investigate the feasibility of bringing a Proton Therapy Cancer Treatment Facility to Ohio.
Mount Carmel Health System, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, OhioHealth, and The Ohio State University Medical Center are being joined by Battelle in forming an entity that during the next six to 12 months will formally investigate the feasibility of a proton facility for Ohio and an appropriate path forward.
Battelle has been assisting the hospitals in evaluating both the business case and technology and will continue to assist in the process as the hospitals move forward with the feasibility study.
The group has been informally exploring the concept over the past several months and agrees that a focused, collaborative effort is the best way to proceed. The hospitals are in the process of forming an entity that will conduct a detailed, in-depth review beginning the first of the year of bringing such a facility to Ohio. Alex Fischer, senior vice president of business and economic development at Battelle, will chair the new entity, with each of the four hospital system CEOs serving on the board. The group will also assemble a physician advisory team to provide expertise in the areas of clinical research and education.
“This is a project that could potentially have significant impact for the participating hospitals, for economic development in central Ohio, and for the health and wellbeing of central Ohio citizens. Those are the issues we’ll be analyzing over the next several months. Battelle is happy to facilitate the early stage of this process and hope we can add value to the team of hospital experts,” said Fischer.
Proton Therapy delivers radiation to a more targeted area than traditional approaches. This has the potential to spare more healthy tissue or organs because the radiation more precisely hits the tumor. Patients could experience fewer side effects, reduced hospitalization, and improved medical benefits with the technology.
The introduction of a proton therapy treatment facility in Ohio is consistent with the efforts of state government leaders to bring more biotechnology and research jobs to the state. According to the National Association for Proton Therapy, there are five proton therapy facilities in existence nationwide, with four others currently under construction.
Contact: Katy Delaney, Battelle
Phone: 410-306-8638
Jeff Klingler
Central Ohio Hospital Council
614-358-2710
