L-R: Theresa Walters, Key Peninsula community volunteer who was recruited for the steering committee, committee co-chair Sharon Snuffin of Snuffin’s Catering, and campaign director Bob Krotz with the 3D model of the future hospital and medical office.

The cancer care center, expected to cost up to $4 million for construction and another $4 million for equipment and furnishings, recently received a major boost from the George F. Russell Jr. Fund at the Russell Family Foundation. The $1.5 million pledge was made in memory of Jane Russell, well-respected philanthropist and community activist and wife of prominent businessman George Russell. Jane Russell, who lived on the Key Peninsula, died in May 2002 after battling cancer. She has chaired the St. Joseph Medical Center board of trustees. The new facility will be named the Jane Thompson Russell Cancer Care Center.

“(The contribution) allows us to move forward with more rigor on the project. Just to have Jane’s name associated with the center enthuses everybody working on it,” said Jim Good, FHS vice president of specialty services.

The plan is still in its conceptual stage, but the major components of the facility have been determined. It will offer radiation, chemotherapy and other treatments (including complementary therapies) and house a laboratory, cancer research activities and an education center. The plan calls for a reflection garden to be created outside of the infusion area to help patients relax and feel more comfortable. Physicians from Northwest Medical Specialists, currently practicing in a medical building near St. Joseph’s Medical Center, will see patients at the Gig Harbor center.

Good said a major difference with the services to be made available in Gig Harbor is their aggregation in one location, where currently patients traveling to Tacoma may have to go between several locations. “Many times, when you are a cancer patient, you become more tired. This will minimize the effort required on their part,” he said.

A state of the art radiation service will be available in a joint venture with Tacoma Radiology Oncology Center. Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) will be both offered. A simulator will be used to hone in on the tumor and protect the good tissues, and once the treatment program is run through the simulation to make sure it’s the best treatment, it will feed the information to the machine that will administer it.

“Technology now is so advanced that it can deliver radiation with pinpoint accuracy,” said Gale Robinette, Franciscan spokesperson.

Good said the center is working to identify vendors for this latest available radiology equipment, and the agreement will include an escalation clause that will provide the most up-to-date technology to the center.

As the importance of complementary therapies continues to grow, the cancer center will offer several types of alternative medicine. “We currently are looking at providing guided imagery,” said Joy Martin, director of oncology services. “It involves someone taking you through a guided image to a place… where you can find peace and rejuvenation and get into a meditative state. You do this to prepare your body to assist with symptom management.” A focus group from the community will be assembled to help determine which services would be most suitable in Gig Harbor.

Bob Krotz, a Gig Harbor resident who is the director of the campaign for St. Anthony Hospital, said the feasibility study conducted a few years ago to see what services the local community would support showed Franciscan could raise up to $6 million, and a cancer center was one of the identified priorities by local residents. Due to increased construction costs caused by the delays in the project, that goal will be increased by $1 million to $3 million to help defray the overrun costs. A steering committee will start its work by soliciting first “leadership contributions” from hospital board and committee members as well as donations from previously identified donors. “We are getting good response from donors identified so far,” he said.

The committee will then approach businesses and organizations as well as solicit individual donations.

While a good number of committee members have been already identified, Krotz said they are still looking for South Kitsap representatives.

Sharon Snuffin, owner of Gig Harbor-based Snuffin’s Catering and co-chair of the campaign’s steering committee, said the interest in the community is very high and she feels positive about the success of the campaign. Although Gig Harbor has had three capital campaigns recently — for the new YMCA, Boys and Girls Club and historic museum — she feels those campaigns will boost, rather than hinder, their efforts. “We believe this will be another part of people’s giving. Having the availability of this level of care in the community speaks to everybody,” she said. “It’s important for as many people to participate as possible at whatever level they can.