A unique cancer fighting duo is forming right here in Dublin.
The Dublin Cancer Center will open spring 2021 as the community’s newest cancer care unit. Columbus Oncology and Hematology and OhioHealth are partnering on this $9.4 million project and will create a facility that offers a wide range of services.
“We saw how a lot of patients were being asked to drive a long way into Columbus for care,” Vice President of OhioHealth Cancer Services Dr. Praveen Dubey says. “So, we put cancer care close to home.”
The Dublin Cancer Center provides a collective unit of cancer care; everything is under one roof for safety, convenience and to make patients and families feel more at ease.
“This provides a service that wasn’t there before in a way that wasn’t there before,” Dubey says. “Asking people to go from one office to the next is not ideal.”
The collaboration between Columbus Oncology and Hematology and OhioHealth has not been seen in this capacity before.
“We’re bringing comprehensive care right to the community,” MD and President of Columbus Oncology and Hematology Dr. Nse Ntukidem says. “We’re opening a center that has all aspects of cancer care. We have never had this many collaborated services in a relationship. It’s the first of its kind.”
The Dublin Cancer Center will offer such services as imaging, lab services, physician practices, research, care navigation and more. The 15,000-square-foot space will not only be a center for patient care and treatment, but for families navigating the tough journey that is cancer care.
Ntukidem says there will be an open garden area for patients and families to talk in and be surrounded by positivity.
“Cancer doesn’t just affect the individual,” he says, “but families and the entire community. We’re here to heal all.”
Much to the team’s relief, COVID-19 has not seriously impacted the construction of the center and the completion date remains steadfast, so patients will have access to services in spring just as planned.
As for what the center means for the future of cancer treatment, both Dubey and Ntukidem are optimistic. With clinical trials more readily available in Dublin under one roof, they hope advances in research will help find a cure one day.
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
