Cancer Treatment Center breaks ground 
on $8.7 million project

DIXON – The Northern Illinois Cancer Treatment Center began construction of its $8.7 million expansion and renovation with a groundbreaking event on Aug. 20. The 9,700-square-foot expansion and 6,200-square-foot renovation of the current facility is set to be completed in the fall of 2010.

“The center has served over 4,000 patients since 1989,” said Jon Berens, MS, DABMP, administrative director and medical physicist. “Through the years, the development of new technologies to fight cancer has been phenomenal. This expansion is another step in our ongoing efforts to provide area cancer patients quality care that is close to home.”

Upon completion, the 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will include: An all new, $3 million Linear Accelerator (to replace the current machine), as well as new treatment planning equipment to compliment the new accelerator. In addition, patients will find more parking; a new, southern-facing front entrance; larger waiting rooms and restrooms; a coat and vending area; a separate Positron Emission Tomography/ Computerized Tomography (PET/CT) patient area; floor scales; and larger exam/consultation rooms where family members will be able to review MRIs and CTs with the physician. A separate ambulance entrance, more meeting rooms and a highly efficient heating and cooling system are also included in the plans.

“When your family, friends or neighbors are diagnosed with a serious illness, they need the best possible treatment,” said Dr. Russell Johnson, FACRO, radiation oncologist and medical director at the center. “The Northern Illinois Cancer Treatment Center’s sole purpose is to provide the best cancer care possible to all of our patients, without the stress and delays of finding services out of town. With its modern design and new technologies, along with our highly trained and skilled staff, this expansion project will take cancer care in our area to an all new level.”

The Northern Illinois Cancer Treatment Center is a nonprofit facility located between Sterling and Dixon. The center treats all types of cancer.

For more information about treatment options available, or to make a donation to the project, call (815) 284-1111 or (815) 625-1111, or visit www.nicancer.org.