Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Breaks Ground on Yawkey Center for Cancer Care

New center key component of fundraising campaign, Mission Possible: The Dana-Farber campaign to conquer cancer

On June 18th, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care, a state-of-the-art outpatient care and clinical research facility that will serve as the model for cancer centers of the future. "The need for expert cancer care is growing in our region and nationally because our society is aging, treatments are becoming more effective and intensive, and, fortunately, people with cancer are surviving longer," said Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, president at Dana-Farber. "The new Yawkey Center for Cancer Care is the centerpiece of Dana-Farber's response to this need for the best 21st Century cancer care and for new modes of clinical research designed to bring better treatments to patients more quickly and safely."

The Yawkey Center for Cancer Care will house many of Dana-Farber's adult clinical services, as well as translational research space and patient and family services. The 275,000-square-foot building, to be constructed at 450 Brookline Avenue in the heart of Dana-Farber's campus, will include 100 exam rooms, 150 infusion beds, and a welcoming and patient-friendly front entrance for Dana-Farber.

The Yawkey Center for Cancer Care will serve patients of the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Dana-Farber's collaboration in adult oncology with Brigham and Women's Hospital, with outpatient care provided at Dana-Farber and inpatient care at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The facility is named in honor of Tom and Jean Yawkey and recognizes the longstanding relationship between the Yawkeys and Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. The Yawkey Foundation contributed $30 million to support the facilityís construction.

"Tom and Jean Yawkey were deeply devoted to supporting the life-saving work of Dr. Sidney Farber and the Institute," said James Healey, president and trustee of the Yawkey Foundation. "They both gave generously of their resources and personal time to support the battle against cancer. Today, the Trustees of the Yawkey Foundation take great pleasure in celebrating this longstanding relationship between the Yawkeys and Dana-Farber."

The histories of Dana-Farber and the Yawkey family are inextricably linked. In 1953, the Yawkeys adopted the Jimmy Fund as the official charity of the Boston Red Sox, a team they owned from 1933-2002. The Red Sox-Jimmy Fund partnership, which remains strong and fruitful to this day, has generated millions of dollars in support for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber and has helped to make contributing to the Jimmy Fund a New England tradition.

The Yawkey Center for Cancer Care is expected to be ready for occupancy in early 2011.