In partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, RWJBarnabas Health, New Brunswick Development Corp. (DEVCO) and The City of New Brunswick, Middlesex County said Thursday it is investing in the partners’ new Cancer Pavilion project.
The $25 million investment is part of a long-term strategic plan and partnership with leading regional and national organizations to continue to create a powerful health and education ecosystem in the county. The funding will allow the latest health innovations to directly benefit residents; create new job opportunities and career paths in multiple disciplines; and present exclusive access to educational curricula and content from a premier oncology center for Middlesex County College and Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools.
RCINJ Rendering. – RUTGERS CANCER INSTITUTE OF NEW JERSEY
“The Cancer Pavilion will be a model for cancer care delivery on the East Coast, bringing together the three mission areas of academic medicine – research, education, and patient care – all under one roof,” RWJBarnabas Health President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Ostrowsky said. “Today’s exciting announcement is further evidence of the tremendous value being provided to area residents through the broader partnership between Middlesex County and RWJBarnabas Health.”
The facility will provide essential patient care in the treatment of cancer as well as create a “bench to bedside” approach to provide a greater connection between research and treatment.
With Middlesex County’s investment, enhanced educational platforms including state-of-the-art laboratory spaces, innovative imaging technology and equipment, as well as robust programming to engage and foster education from internships and hands-on training opportunities for county residents will be established.
“Even amid a pandemic, the county has a rare opportunity to provide resources for forward-looking projects that build a strong foundation for enhancing the health and life sciences talent pool through best-in-class education from our partners,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald Rios. “We are fortunate that our financial and operational strength enables us to move full steam ahead with economic development plans to bolster our community at large and for generations to come.”
Paladino
“New Brunswick has always been a laboratory, a test bed for public-private partnerships that have impact on the quality of life for people who live, study, discover, and work in our city,” said Chris Paladino, president of DEVCO. “It’s a partnership that will have a major impact on the lives of every New Jerseyan. There’s no magic to any of this. It works because we prepare, we work hard, we innovate, we learn from our success, we even learn from our mistakes. It works because we do it through partnerships.”
The new patient and family-centered Cancer Pavilion will be designed to create the safest, most efficient environment for integrated cancer care and delivery. The $750 million project will allow for the consolidation of key cancer services into a single location, including those for chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as major diagnostic modalities, in a 12-story structure, comprised of more than 510,000 square feet.
Featuring New Jersey’s only oncology inpatient hospital, consolidation of services into a single Cancer Pavilion will provide greater opportunities to serve patients while improving the overall patient experience. The space will also feature research laboratories, enabling physician-scientists to more rapidly translate scientific findings from laboratory bench to patient bedside, resulting in clinical assessment, feedback on clinical trials, and collection of research data in a more rapid and direct fashion.
