UCHealth Cancer Center Fundraising Campaign Hits Goal PVH and MCR Foundation Thanks Donors Who Made It Possible

The PVH and MCR Foundation announced today that its fundraising campaign for the University of Colorado Health (UCHealth) Cancer Center in Fort Collins has reached its final goal, raising $6.1 million thanks to the generosity of donors. The third phase of the campaign, which concluded at the end of December, will enable an 8,000 square foot renovation to create the Survivorship and Wellness Center, slated for completion in 2015.

“We are extremely thankful for support we received for the cancer center. It is a shining example of how healthcare philanthropy enables a community to accomplish so much more than any single individual or organization could on its own,” said Kevin Unger, president and CEO, Poudre Valley Hospital (PVH) and Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR). “Philanthropy enhances our standard services, enabling us to offer healing amenities, like the cancer center, for the benefit of patients in our community.”

Over the course of the foundation’s campaign, more than 4,000 individuals, businesses and foundations came together to raise the funds that were needed for the cancer center. Visitors to the facility can see many of the donors recognized on various plaques throughout the grounds, as well as on the donor wall in the main hall of the building.

The largest commitment to the project came from an anonymous donor. Additional lead contributions were given by the Griffin Foundation, Miramont Lifestyle Fitness, Dellenbach Motors and the Dellenbach Family, Bank of Colorado, the Unger Family, the Count on Me Golf Tournament, the Houska Family/Poudre School District, the Branzell Family, the Richmond Family and Colorado Eagles Pro Hockey. Collectively, contributions from UCHealth employees made up more than $1 million of the total contributions for the cancer center.

“People in northern Colorado really invested their hearts this campaign,” explained Erica Siemers, senior director, PVH and MCR Foundation. “Many donors shared the ways they have been touched by cancer, and it has been moving to see their passion put into action..”

Gifts to the PVH and MCR Foundation, such as those given during the cancer center campaign, provide opportunities for the community to help advance health close to home. Philanthropy can build a bridge between standard services and those that enable cutting-edge medical care, healing spaces, and patient assistance which help foster whole patient and community wellness.

Thanks in part to the generosity of the thousands of supporters of the campaign, UCHealth’s cancer care program is able to serve northern Colorado by combining innovative clinical care, single-entry access and whole-person care. The facility offers access to national clinical trials, state-of-the-art treatment, expert physicians and seamless integration to University of Colorado Cancer Center in Aurora, the top cancer research institute in the Rocky Mountain region and one of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the U.S.

Another distinctive feature of the cancer center is the emphasis on providing most of a patient’s treatment and care under one roof. Because patients with cancer have, on average, more than 100 appointments in various locations during their first year of diagnosis, UCHealth’s cancer center was designed to reduce this burden, enabling patients to combine several appointments at the same visit.In addition, the idea of “whole-person care” is demonstrated on the campus with features such as the outdoor healing garden and departments that go beyond physical treatment, such as emotional counseling and support groups, and patient navigation. The final stage of the building now underway, the Survivorship and Wellness Center, will help support recovery of the cancer patient, providing complementary therapies such as massage, speech and occupational therapy and lymphedema treatment. A demonstration kitchen also will offer nutritional counseling, and a physical therapy gym will house equipment and specially-trained therapists to help patients regain many faculties lost during treatment.The jewel in the crown of this cancer center is the Survivorship and Wellness Center,” said Vikki Wagner, chair of the survivor advisory council. “I believe the focus and planning that was put into this aspect of the facility sets it apart from not only local, but national, cancer centers.”

Tours of the final phase of the cancer center will be offered to the public once it is completed. The foundation will share details as they are available.

“This cancer center was custom built to fit the needs of the people it serves,” said Matt Sorensen, MD, medical director of oncology for UCHealth in the north region. “We are so grateful to have had such strong support for this facility that is an investment in the health of the people of northern Colorado for years to come.”

About PVH and MCR Foundation:
The mission of the Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies Foundation is to support its affiliated hospitals and clinics in the delivery and advancement of world-class health care in northern Colorado. The foundation realizes its mission through the development and stewardship of philanthropic resources in support of the hospitals’ mission and strategic goals.