A joint venture between two leading cancer-care providers will result in an expansion and re-design at Heartland Cancer Center (HCC) in Great Bend, officials with both entities said.

          The public is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6 at HCC, 204 Cleveland.

          Construction will begin this fall on a 5,000-square-foot addition on the east side of the current facility. Completion is expected about a year later.

          The joint venture is between Central Care Cancer Center and Centura Health. Central Care is a comprehensive oncology group that has served HCC for the last decade; Centura is the umbrella organization for St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center and St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City.

          “The increase in the number of patients at Heartland Cancer Center in Great Bend in recent years has been significant,” said Scott Taylor, president and chief executive officer of St. Rose and St. Catherine. “To ensure our patients are treated in a comfortable and therapeutic setting, we will add space and equipment.”

          The expanded facility will allow more infusion room, with the goals of comfort and relaxation during chemotherapy treatments, Taylor noted.

          The Central Care oncologists who treat patients at HCC are Claudia Perez-Tamayo, M.D., and Thomas Hegarty, M.D., both radiation oncologists; and Mark Fesen, M.D., and Greg Nanney, M.D., both medical oncologists.

          Lori Williams is Central Care’s physician assistant.

          “These physicians and Centura share a common philosophy of compassionate, quality care,” Taylor commented. “Central Care is a leading provider of cancer care in Kansas, while Centura is a leading provider of cancer care in Colorado and is now bringing that commitment to Kansas.

          “We have been extremely blessed to work with such professional and compassionate physicians and other caregivers,” Taylor added. “Their dedication to patient care is evident in each encounter. They represent the latest training and skills in oncological diagnosis and therapy available anywhere.”

          Dr. Perez-Tamayo echoed Taylor’s comments about a shared vision between the two entities.

          “This partnership with Centura, St. Rose and St. Catherine just makes sense,” Dr. Perez-Tamayo said. “We will continue to offer patients the highest level of care in Kansas because we share Centura’s mission.

          “This mission is bringing technology and treatment to cancer patients in a way that is comprehensive and does not exclude anybody,” she continued. “This is a mission we want to live.”

          Dr. Perez-Tamayo also noted that St. Rose and St. Catherine are affiliated with The University of Kansas Cancer Center and its outreach arm, the Midwest Cancer Alliance.

          “We are bringing all these resources to the care and treatment of our patients close to home,” Dr. Perez-Tamayo commented. “We want to expand the horizon for our patients and families by bringing the horizon to them.”

          St. Catherine’s cancer center also is expanding.

          Central Care has 13 locations – 11 in Kansas and two in western Missouri.

          Centura connects individuals and families across western Kansas and Colorado with more than 6,000 physicians, 15 hospitals, seven senior-living communities, physician practices and clinics, and home-care and hospice services.