Cheshire Medical Center renovation plan now tops $50M
Amid increased construction costs, Cheshire Medical Center is looking to raise more money in what the Keene hospital said is the largest fundraising effort in its history.
Cheshire Medical Center renovation plan now tops $50M
Cheshire Medical Center bought a second radiation treatment machine that will allow more patients to get cancer care locally. The machine is expected to come online later this summer. (Courtesy of Cheshire Medical Center)
Amid increased construction costs, Cheshire Medical Center is looking to raise more money in what the Keene hospital said is the largest fundraising effort in its history.
The Dartmouth Health affiliate already raised $42.6 million to renovate and modernize the cancer care, gastroenterology and surgical areas in its Court Street campus, Cheshire said in a news release this week. This exceeded an earlier fundraising goal of $42 million. Cheshire Medical Center now estimates construction costs at more than $52 million, according to the news release.
“The campaign represents a unique opportunity to build on the foundation of generosity laid by previous generations, while enabling Cheshire to address the current and future care needs of our patients,” Sandra Phipps, Cheshire Medical Center’s vice president of philanthropy and community relations, said in the release. “Every gift makes a difference, and every gift of any amount matters when we all give together.”
The first phase of the renovation, which cost $12 million, included buying a second radiation treatment machine, also known as a linear accelerator, and constructing a dedicated space for it in back of the hospital’s Court Street campus. That machine was delivered July 11 and is expected to be available for patients later this summer, the release said.
The hospital already has one linear accelerator, but adding a second one will offer more treatment slots. A second machine will also allow patients to continue getting treatment locally even when one machine is down, hospital leaders said previously.
Radiation treatment has a significant time commitment, so keeping care lo cal is important, Dr. Joseph Perras, Cheshire’s president and CEO, said previously. Depending on the type, stage and location of the cancer, some regimens can require three to five visits a week for several weeks, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Renovations to the hospital’s gastroenterology clinic are also slated to conclude this summer, this week’s news release said.
The hospital’s perioperative facilities — including surgery suites, recovery beds and the pre-operative area — will also get an upgrade under the hospital’s renovation plan. Its five existing operating rooms will be enlarged to make room for robotic and other equipment used in surgery.
The plan also calls for adding a sixth operation room as well as another room that will eventually become an advanced cardiac care area. The hospital plans to add a fourth endoscopy suite in the renovation, as well as space for 17 more post-surgery recovery beds.
The hospital is using part of the money it raises to update its facilities plan for the rest of its Court Street campus, as well as its Maple Avenue location.
Cheshire Medical serves more than 5,000 patients per week, according to the release.
The hospital’s Court Street campus is roughly 50 years old. The cancer center and operation department upgrades will be the biggest undertaking since the hospital building’s construction. The last time the hospital had significant work was in 2014 when it upgraded its emergency department, Phipps said previously.
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