Making Way for Niagara Regional Cancer Centre
- May 2002
It was a celebration of the past and a salute to the future as officials and guests gathered recently to acknowledge the decommissioning of the former Mack School of Nursing buildings to pave the way for the future home of Niagara Regional Cancer Centre.
"Since these buildings were erected 30 years ago, they have served as a daily reminder of the Mack School nursing graduates and their legacy of care and compassion," said Mark Newman, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Niagara Health System. "It's only fitting that Niagara Regional Cancer Centre comes to life on the grounds that have long been affiliated with the Mack School of Nursing."
Working in partnership, the Niagara Health System and Cancer Care Ontario, the provincial agency responsible for long-term planning of the cancer care system, are in the midst of developing a 65,000 square foot comprehensive cancer treatment facility. The facility is scheduled to open in 2005. The regional cancer centre will offer the full range of inpatient and outpatient cancer care services, including cancer prevention, treatment (medical, surgical and radiation), supportive care, education and research. The new centre will also be active in clinical trials and health services research.
Over the past decade, the number of new cases of cancer in Ontario has increased by about 3% each year, mainly due to growth and aging of the population. Projections for Niagara indicate 2,300 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the region in 2002.
"Building the Niagara Regional Cancer Centre is an important priority for Cancer Care Ontario," said Ian Brunskill, the agency's Senior Vice-President of Planning and Administration. "Having a full range of cancer services available in St. Catharines will bring us one step closer to our goal of providing timely, high-quality care as close to home as possible for everyone in the province."
"Right now people from Niagara in need of radiation treatment and specialized oncology surgery have to travel beyond the region to receive the care they need. Certainly the day that the Niagara Regional Cancer Centre will open can't come soon enough," said Larry Tokarchuk, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Niagara Health System. "We're fully committed to working hand-in-hand with our partners at Cancer Care Ontario to get this centre up and running by our 2005 target."
Joyce Harrison, President of the Niagara Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society talked about the ongoing effort of volunteer drivers who take Niagara residents to Hamilton and beyond for cancer treatment. "Some people must go for 25 straight days of treatment, and a long journey when you're not feeling well, certainly adds to the anxiety," she said. "In the last month, we have served 236 clients and driven 25,000 kilometres."
"Few of us are not touched by cancer," said Bart Maves, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Member of Provincial Parliament for Niagara Falls. The provincial government has commited $14.6 million toward an estimated total project cost of $20,8 million.
Demolition of the existing buildings on the site is currently two weeks ahead of schedule and is expected to be complete by mid-summer.
Mack School of Nursing
Founded in 1874 as the St. Catharines Training School and Nurses Home by Dr. Theophilus Mack, the school was renamed "The Mack School of Nursing" in 1881 upon the sudden death of its founder.
The Mack School of Nursing is recognized as one the first training schools for nurses in North America. The Mack School was the first nursing school in Canada to follow the Florence Nightingale system of nursing – the training and education system that is the foundation of modern nursing today.
In 1973 the Mack School of Nursing transferred responsibility for nursing education to Niagara College of Applied Art and Technology through the Ministry of Education.