Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Northwest Hospital Sign Letter of Intent to Develop Proton Therapy Center for Cancer...( Facility will be the only one if...),Health

Facility will be the only one if its kind in the Pacific Northwest

SEATTLE, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and Northwest Hospital & Medical Center today announced the signing of a letter of intent to explore the development of a new, state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility offering proton beam radiation therapy.

SCCA originally announced its intention to develop a proton-therapy facility in September 2006 and has since been working to secure financing, develop supporting partnerships and determine a location. Under the letter of intent, Northwest Hospital will house the new facility on its 33-acre, north Seattle campus and will become an equity partner in the project.

The new center, featuring a proton-beam therapy system from Hitachi America Ltd., will be the first of its kind in the region and one of seven currently operating or under development in the United States. When completed, the center is expected to draw patients from throughout the Pacific Northwest and West Coast.

"We see this facility as a regional resource -- a new treatment option for cancer patients throughout the Northwest," said Norm Hubbard, executive vice president of the SCCA. "Proton therapy is an exciting and emerging technology, but much more research needs to be done to determine all the best and most appropriate uses.

"Making new therapies more widely available as they are developed in a world-class research environment is a core mission of the SCCA, and it's a key reason why Northwest Hospital was interested in joining us in this endeavor."

Hubbard said it is also why, with the support of Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. David Reichert and the rest of the Washington delegation, the SCCA last year received a $2.1 million federal grant for the proton project.

Northwest Hospital has a long history of partnering with other health care providers to bring expert care and services to the surrounding community, in
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