Banner completes $10.7M Greeley cancer center upgrade

GREELEY — A $10.7 million expansion and renovation project at Banner Health’s Cancer Institute in Greeley has officially been completed, Banner Health and the North Colorado Medical Center Foundation announced Thursday.

The center at 1800 15th St., Suite 200, has doubled the size of its treatment space, increased the number of patient suites for infusion therapy from 10 to 18 and chemotherapy treatment rooms from one to three, added office and patient space including a pharmacy, and added technology including a second linear accelerator for radiation treatment.

“The linear accelerator allows us to precisely target tumors with radiotherapy,” said radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Albert. “We’re the only center in Northern Colorado that offers a full spectrum of services using a specialized form of radiation called HDR brachytherapy, used to treat many diseases including prostate, breast and gynecologic cancers.”

Providers at the Cancer Institute, which opened in August 1994, treat an average of 90 to 100 patients a day.

Greeley-based Hensel Phelps Construction Co. was general contractor for the expansion, which was accomplished in five phases, said Gene Haffner, director of public relations for North Colorado Medical Center. The first phase was construction of the vault to hold the linear accelerator, then installation of the accelerator itself. It came online Feb. 17, Haffner said. Expansion of the pharmacy was completed Feb. 24, the outpatient infusion center for treatment was completed July 15, exam rooms were finished July 22, and the remainder of the work — including new carpeting and offices for physicians and staff, was completed Nov. 30.

The cancer center remained open during the entire project, Haffner said.

Funding for the project came from the North Colorado Medical Center Inc. board of directors, Haffner said, and was aided by additional private and community donors through the NCMC Foundation.

As part of a larger strategic plan that includes centralized data management across Phoenix-based nonprofit Banner Health’s facilities, the upgrades complement oncology services currently offered at McKee Cancer Center in Loveland and the David Walsh Cancer Center at Sterling Regional MedCenter in Sterling. The McKee Cancer Center underwent a $10 million improvement project in 2012.

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