CHRISTUS St. Vincent Announces Plans for $80M Regional Cancer Center

January 17, 2022

The CHRISTUS St. Vincent Hospital Board announced its commitment to a new and expanded Regional Cancer Center located on the hospital’s main campus. The initiative represents an important and exciting step in the hospital’s continuing mission to serve the cancer care needs of the entire Santa Fe and North Central New Mexico community. This new state of the art building and location will ensure a patient-first, fully integrated cancer program that ensures patients can receive all their cancer care in one location, with expanded clinical support services. The completed project is expected to be an $80 million investment.

New 72,000 Square Foot Cancer Center

The new 72,000 square foot Cancer Center will be focused on the patient experience, designed to deliver seamless cancer care. This expansion will provide improved access to the latest diagnostic technology and advanced treatments and therapies. The building will be an important milestone, bringing together several disciplines under one roof, with the focus of delivering expanded services, an unparalleled patient experience, and quality care to the community. Until the new building is operational in early 2024, CHRISTUS St. Vincent’s cancer team will continue to serve the community, strengthening existing services while building a cancer program that will encourage shared decision making with an exceptional team of specialists. The center will also include multi-disciplinary clinics including integrative medicine, palliative care, research, geriatric oncology, a breast cancer program, molecular medicine and an immunotherapy center.

Our community deserves the very best cancer care in a setting close to home and featuring outstanding physicians, cutting edge technology and modern facilities,” said Lillian Montoya, CHRISTUS St. Vincent President and CEO. “We will continue to work with a high-quality integrated care team of physicians, advanced practice providers, and ancillary support members aligned with our patient-first values.

St. Vincent & the Mayo Clinic

Additionally, CHRISTUS St. Vincent continues to maximize its cancer care relationship with the Mayo Clinic as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. “As a result of this membership, CHRISTUS St. Vincent patients have access to second opinions for their care, and our cancer providers have a partner in Mayo to assist them in bringing the best patient care to our local community. For patients, this is truly a game changer. We regularly have patients request second opinions from their providers under this program without the hassle of travel and extended time away from family,” said Montoya. “We consult with the best and bring that expertise to north-central New Mexico.

Since 2008, the CHRISTUS St. Vincent partnership with CHRISTUS Health system and Anchorum St. Vincent has allowed the hospital to establish a strong foundation of delivering excellent, compassionate care while leveraging a wealth of resources and experience. This has allowed CHRISTUS St. Vincent to flourish and grow in ways that have benefited the entire community of North Central New Mexico. The CHRISTUS St. Vincent Hospital Board approved an initial capital investment of $30 million toward the new building. As part of its commitment to the treatment and prevention of cancer, CHRISTUS Health and Anchorum St. Vincent have committed a minimum of an additional $15 million for matching contributions from the community for the benefit of the CHRISTUS St. Vincent Cancer Program.

The development of this cancer center will provide Santa Fe and northern New Mexico with an unparalleled level of cancer care,” said Ernie Sadau President & CEO of CHRISTUS Health. “This is the type of development and expansion of services that we set out to accomplish when CHRISTUS Health partnered with St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in 2008.

Jerry Jones, Interim President & CEO of Anchorum St. Vincent said Anchorum St. Vincent is proud of its continued investments in advancing the community’s health care resources and services. “CHRISTUS St. Vincent serves all patients who require care,” he said. “Hospital dollars always remain local and profits are continuously reinvested to meet the needs of our community and improve quality of care. This investment in a cutting-edge cancer center is the perfect example.”

New, Updated Technology for Treating Patients with Cancer

CHRISTUS St. Vincent will invest in new and updated technology for treating cancer patients at the new center. This will include two new linear accelerators for radiation treatment and all new imaging equipment, including PET/CT scanners. The building will also include an infusion and immunotherapy center and a fast-track room for quick procedures. State-of-the-art radiation technology that delivers precision high-dose treatments while minimizing radiation exposure, reducing complications, and ensuring faster recovery times will also be available.

The goal is not only to offer our patients the most up-to-date treatments, but to help guide patients and their families through their cancer journey," said Dr. Andrea Teague. "Having a cancer center that is built and designed around those needs will benefit our entire community."

Cancer therapy has evolved to an incredibly sophisticated level,” said Dr. Matt Jackson. “As a physician, having access to cutting-edge technology is critical for my patients, to minimize side effects and ensure they receive modern, precision therapy right here at home.

An investment like this allows us to deliver services that provide hope and healing to local families as they face one of the biggest challenge of their lives,” said Dr. Bryan Goss. “Treating our patients in a state-of-the-art facility with our great team of physicians, physics staff, nursing staff, dosimetry, therapists and others is what our community deserves."

Cancer care requires aggressive innovation and new approaches to treatment,” said Dr. Olivier Rixe. “CHRISTUS St. Vincent has always been eager to explore and invest in new treatment opportunities for our patients, including an investment in cancer research.” Alongside access to the latest in treatment and technology, patients will continue to experience the same dedicated, compassionate approach to care they have come to expect from CHRISTUS St. Vincent: Care delivered with dignity and respect by providers and staff who understand their unique needs and challenges they are facing.

Improving Care & Satisfaction 

Comprehensive care in one location increases patient satisfaction and improves care through provider collaboration,” said Mark Puczynski, Hospital Board Chairman. “Investments like this ensure we can always attract and retain the best cancer care physicians and providers to offer the greatest scope of care to our patients, their families and our community. The continued ability to access Mayo from both the patient and provider perspective affords so much potential to ensure clinical innovation, simplified patient navigation, and the best clinical outcomes in the industry.

With a legacy of success in helping patients find healing and hope in their cancer journey, CHRISTUS St. Vincent is the only organization positioned in North Central New Mexico to continue leading the way in cancer care. CHRISTUS St. Vincent believes that having an integrated approach to cancer care in North Central New Mexico is in the best interest of the community. We are committed to using our resources to continually enhance and improve upon that model,” Montoya said.

CHRISTUS St. Vincent is in the final planning stages of the project and is preparing for the next steps, which includes conducting Early Neighborhood Notification meetings.