Siteman Cancer Center Breaks Ground in North St. Louis County

$26.3 million outpatient facility will be on Christian Hospital’s Northwest HealthCare campus

Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, began construction July 31 in north St. Louis County on its newest outpatient facility. Completion of the $26.3 million project on Christian Hospital’s Northwest HealthCare campus is planned for December 2019. 

The nearly 37,000-square-foot facility at Interstate 270 and Graham Road in Florissant, Mo., will feature state-of-the-art technology, including a new linear accelerator to deliver radiation therapy. The patient-centered design includes paintings by noted local artists Cbabi Bayoc and Jessica Hitchcock and a healing garden donated by the Christian Hospital Foundation.

“Leading-edge cancer care includes the most qualified doctors and the latest technology, and Siteman Cancer Center’s north St. Louis County facility at Northwest HealthCare includes both,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, Siteman’s director and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor at the School of Medicine. “We are dedicated to making the best cancer care easily accessible in north St. Louis County.”

The facility is a joint project of BJC HealthCare, which owns and operates Christian Hospital, and Washington University School of Medicine, whose physicians treat Siteman patients. The Northwest HealthCare campus is six miles west of Christian Hospital, where Siteman opened its fifth outpatient site in an existing building last July as an interim location. The new facility at Northwest HealthCare will replace the existing one.

“Christian Hospital and Siteman Cancer Center have built a strong partnership founded on providing patients the very best care,” said Rick Stevens, who as president of Christian Hospital oversees both campuses. “We are pleased to continue offering that same level of care [or exceptional care] in a completely new facility.”

Medical oncologist Timothy Rearden, MD, will continue as medical director of Siteman’s north St. Louis County satellite. Mackenzie Daly, MD, a radiation oncologist, will continue as director of radiation oncology. Both are on the Washington University faculty. 

Highly trained Washington University specialists provide team-based cancer care at all Siteman locations, including the main outpatient facility on the Washington University Medical Campus. Multidisciplinary care teams at Siteman include radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and surgeons, as well as dietitians, psychologists, nurses and other staff. Siteman also offers access to 500 clinical trials evaluating innovative cancer therapies, which often are not available elsewhere in the region. 

New technology available at the north county satellite will include a:

• Linear accelerator, which is a machine that uses electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles. This creates high-energy radiation that is used to treat cancer.
• CT, or computed tomography, scanner, which combines multiple X-ray images of the internal anatomy, so tumors or other abnormalities can be visualized.

The patient-centered design of the new facility will complement the outstanding medical care, said Louisa Hardwrict, BJC HealthCare design project manager. Design highlights include a family lounge with a fireplace, a conference room that also will serve as a community room for social events and a healing garden. 

“In designing our new cancer care center, we wanted to be sure patients and family members feel as comfortable as possible at what can be a difficult and stressful time, Hardwrict said.”

The new facility is the latest example of the decades-long commitment to north St. Louis County residents by the School of Medicine, BJC and Siteman. Other examples include:

• The Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD), which works with community representatives to improve health outcomes in medically underserved areas.
• A major study now underway to learn whether breast cancer in African-American women is influenced by different genetic mutations than those known to increase breast cancer risk among white women. Such information may lead to new ways to prevent or treat breast cancer in African-American women.
• A mammography van that has offered appointments at grocery stores, YMCAs and other locations for 30 years, to improve the convenience and availability of breast screenings.

Other Siteman satellites are at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in Creve Coeur, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital in St. Charles County, and at the Center for Advanced Medicine satellite in south St. Louis County, near Interstate 55 and Butler Hill Road. The new Parkview Tower, on the Washington University Medical Campus, aims to enhance the care and comfort of oncology patients who require hospitalization.

Appointments for any Siteman location may be made by calling 314.747.7222, or toll-free 800.600.3606, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, or by visiting www.siteman.wustl.edu.

Siteman Cancer Center at Christian Hospital’s Northwest HealthCare campus
1225 Graham Road, Florissant, MO 63301

Groundbreaking date: July 31, 2018
Anticipated completion: December 2019
Square feet: 36,900
External and internal architect: Archimages
Structural engineer: David Mason + Associates
Civil engineer: Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers
Mechanical, electric, plumbing and fire engineer: KAI Design & Build
Construction project manager: Shawn Gillam, BJC HealthCare
Design project manager: Louisa Hardwrict, BJC HealthCare
Contractor: Tarlton Corp.