The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: News & Features

Efforts made by both the College and MaineGeneral Medical Center will soon culminate with the opening of a new building that will serve to benefit local residents struggling with cancer.

The Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, as it is formally known, will be located in North Augusta and is expected to open before Aug. 1 of this year. Allyson Karter, director of major gifts and communications for MaineGeneral, said that the process toward building a new cancer center in central Maine was highly complex. When asked to describe the challenges that beset the construction of the Center, Karter said that mentioning the challenges was not easy but explained that the first step before creation was to obtain a Certificate of Need by the state of Maine. This certificate has been approved and construction is scheduled to begin this month.

State health data indicates that cancer is the second leading cause of death in Maine, with nearly 6,800 Maine residents diagnosed with the disease each year. Although cancer incidence has been declining nationally, in Central Maine all types of cancer are increasing with no apparent explanation, according to a document providing background on the new Center. The building will provide easy access to physician offices, diagnostic and imaging services, radiology infusion and radiation therapy all in one location.

The Center will become the first LEED (Leader in Energy and Environmental Design) certified medical facility in the state of Maine and, to the best of MaineGeneral's knowledge, the third in the United States. "The building was designed around the patient with a healing environment design," Karter said. The Center will be constructed with materials not containing known carcinogens and lumber for the building will be purchased from lumberyards certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The building will have water-efficient landscaping, bicycle storage, designated parking for hybrid vehicles, an aggressive recycling program, and use of low-emitting paints, carpets, and wood.

Karter's motivation to become personally involved with the project was "that we are all touched by cancer in one way or another. While I don't want to have any of us [family, friends, and colleagues] use the facility, I want it to be local so that we could be close to loved ones if the need arises." Karter also noted that the person for whom the Center is named played an important role in bringing it to existence. Harold Alfond was very grateful for the treatment he received at MaineGeneral when he was stricken with cancer. "When he was approached to support the concept of a new cancer center, he readily agreed to a $5 million challenge because he wanted the best facility for our excellent caregivers and the best care for our region," Karter said. To date the fundraising efforts have produced $16.2 million, with $5 million coming from the community. In total, the building will cost $29.3 million dollars to construct.

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