JPS Health Network is poised to begin work on relocating its cancer center after its Board of Managers and the Tarrant County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a sublease agreement between JPS and UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute for medical space located at 1450 8th Avenue in Fort Worth.
The 51,170 square-foot facility, currently occupied by Texas Oncology, will be renovated for JPS’ use in providing comprehensive cancer and blood disorder treatments for JPS patients. This move is consistent with the hospital district’s long-range strategic facilities plan and also aligns with recent recommendations by the Commissioners Court-appointed Citizens Blue Ribbon Committee, which studied future healthcare needs in Tarrant County and JPS’s role in meeting those needs.
“Cancer is one of this most discriminating of diseases for many,” said JPS President and CEO Robert Earley. “Too often patients delay seeing a doctor until their disease has progressed to stage 3 or 4. We are committed to increasing access to care for all residents of Tarrant County to fight cancer at the earliest possible time.”
The new location will allow us to nearly double the number of infusion stations available at the current JPS Center for Cancer Care on West Terrell Avenue.
“JPS will be able to provide an outpatient infusion center for all patients, including those with rheumatologic and neurologic disorders,” said Dr. Bassam Ghabach, medical director for JPS Center for Cancer Care. “Additionally, we will have space to provide more support services to cancer patients.”
Extensive renovations, which will begin in September and should be completed by April 2019, will include the addition of a pharmacy and laboratory needed to support infusion services. The facility, about the same distance from the main JPS campus as the current cancer center, offers expansive surface and garage parking for patients and employees.
At their June 14 meeting, members of the Tarrant County Hospital District Board of Managers approved the 10-year sublease agreement, which included $4.2 million in funding for project management, furniture, fixtures and equipment.
“Expanding access to cancer treatment has long been part of our strategic goals,” said Charlie Powell, chair of the JPS Health Network Board of Managers. “It is exciting to accelerate that achievement through the additional space being leased from UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute.”