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EAMC breaks ground on new Cancer Center in Opelika

The new Cancer Center is being built on a plot of 15.66 acres of land and will be two floors, measuring up to a total of 59,596 square feet. The project will cost a total of $39.7 million.

<p>East Alabama Medical Center is testing patients for coronavirus at its new drive-thru center.</p>

East Alabama Medical Center is testing patients for coronavirus at its new drive-thru center.

With glittery gold Sharpies, Auburn and Opelika medical professionals, public officials and community members signed their names on a large white beam that will help to hold up the new Cancer Center of East Alabama. 

The new Cancer Center is being built on a plot of 15.66 acres of land and will be two floors, measuring up to a total of 59,596 square feet. The project will cost a total of $39.7 million. 


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Laura Grill, executive vice president of EAMC and cancer survivor, said through time EAMC has continued to expand and transform. 

EAMC opened the current Cancer Center in 1992, and it treats 784 patients with chemotherapy each month. The facilities assist 40-50 patients with radiation each day. 

"Cancer touches many many lives," Grill said. "We all have someone in our lives that have been touched by this disease, and with the expansion of our services, we know we will be able to provide more treatment and more hope for individuals in our community." 

Grill said she is thrilled to offer a world-class facility and staff to Lee County with the addition of the new facility. The construction is already underway on site.

Distinguished guests included Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, Auburn Mayor Bill Ham, city council members from both cities and important members of the EAMC staff. Terry Andrus, president and CEO of EAMC, welcomed the guests and thanked them for their leadership and support of the development. 

"[The Cancer Center] is another prime example of EAMC's commitment to Opelika, Auburn, Lee County and East Alabama," Fuller said. "It's a really big, big deal, and it is all for the benefit of the patient." 

Ham seconded Fuller's gratitude for EAMC and said EAMC has stuck to its vision and continued to grow. He said he has watched as EAMC has measured their quality at the ranks of some of the best in the country. 

Ham specifically thanked Andrus for his personal dedication to the Center. 

The Cancer Center facilities will include two linear accelerators, one high-dose radiation machine, one positron emission tomography and computed tomography machine, 28 regular infusion therapy chairs, four medical oncologist offices, 12 medical oncology exam rooms, a pharmacy, a boutique with wigs and accessories, a resource library, laboratory, large patio area and parking. 


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Edith Graves, medical oncologist, said EAMC wasn't just breaking ground on a new Cancer Center, but rather acknowledging the commitment to development and research of the board, foundation and city representatives. 

Graves stressed that the current Cancer Center was simply not meeting the optimal needs of those in the area. She recounted patients who had to wait hours for treatment. She said with the additions to their technical resources and an expansion of space, the new Cancer Center will see to the needs of those patients. 

"This hospital administration has consistently been responsive to the needs of our community, its patients, its physicians and its nurses," Graves said. "For that, I am truly grateful. I thank you, the community, for your support as we continue to grow, to provide the best cancer care we can right here in Lee County." 


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