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Cancer care doesn’t make anyone’s list of “things I want to do.”

But for patients at the OSF Bobette Steely Hegeler Cancer Care Center in Danville, Illinois, visits will soon be more comfortable and streamlined thanks to $750,000 worth of interior renovations.

Phase two of the cancer center expansion project started in December and will continue for around five months. Patient care will continue while work is underway.

“Everybody’s excited,” said Judi Miles, patient care manager of medical oncology and radiation oncology at the center.

“We’ve been planning this for quite some time. It brings some hope to everything here. It shows we’re here to stay, and we’re going to take care of our patients,” Miles added.

Phase two expansion upgrades include:

• Increasing the number of exam rooms from two to five. One room will be larger to accommodate bariatric patients and people who have trouble getting around. Each room will have new furniture and equipment, sliding doors and touch screen wall monitors.

“The monitors will be an interactive tool that we can use to show patients 3D anatomy. We can resource information from the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute,” said Miles. “It’s as simple as putting in their email, then we can send information to them. A lot of companies don’t print booklets anymore.”

“The digital board makes the process more comprehensive. It makes it more easily understandable to patients,” said JoMel Labayog, MD, oncologist and medical director at the cancer center. “You can just tell patients. But it’s different when you see where your cancer is, how it’s responding to treatment and what the plan is. Visual stimulation is always the best.”

• The patient discharge room will also be renovated and moved from the back of the building to the front to allow for better flow and more privacy.
• Cancer center Mission Partners (employees) will have new and improved workstations.
• Three private bays for infusion therapy will be walled off by doors instead of curtains for increased privacy.

“Some people like to be around others and share stories during treatment,” said Dr. Labayog. “But we have the private bays for people who are more confined and want their loved ones to be with them.”

The cancer center is also aggressively recruiting another physician to get the most out of these phase two improvements, which are funded by community donations.

Phase one of the cancer center expansion saw installation of a state-of-the-art linear accelerator for radiation treatment in March 2022. Phase three is planned for three to four years down the road. OSF HealthCare leaders hope to expand the cancer center’s physical footprint to offer new services and amenities, such as visiting oncologists, an education room, pastoral care and physical therapy. People interested in contributing to the phase three improvements should contact the OSF HealthCare Foundation.

“When people come here, they know we’re comprehensive. We’re compassionate. We’re professional. We have the facilities that can accommodate care for most diseases,” said Dr. Labayog. “So, not only do the patients feel comfortable, but the family feels confident that their loved ones are taken care of.”

The OSF Bobette Steely Hegeler Cancer Care Center is on the campus of OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville. It sees 40 to 50 patients daily, providing critical care close to home. The cancer center is named for Bobette Steely Hegeler, the wife of Danville philanthropist Julius W. Hegeler II. Bobette Hegeler battled cancer before passing away in 1976. Julius Hegeler died in 2019, and his foundation continue to support local causes, including OSF HealthCare.

Interview clips - Judi Miles

Interview clips - Dr. JoMel Labayog

B-roll - OSF Hegeler Cancer Center and OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center