BC Cancer Agency improving services and patient-centered care for Fraser Valley

Surrey, B.C. – BC Cancer Agency’s Fraser Valley Centre is expanding with a new chemotherapy unit, more research space and enhanced patient-focused services to improve cancer care for patients and families in the Fraser Valley region.

The expansion will increase chemotherapy treatment chair capacity by 28 per cent – with an average extra 4,300 patient visits for a total of 15,000 visits per year. Additional ambulatory clinical space will also provide 13,000 more patient visits with clinical care teams each year.

The total capital cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $7.5 million. The BC Government will contribute $6.5 million and the BC Cancer Foundation has committed to raising $1 million.

Renovations are estimated to be complete by winter 2017.

The BC Cancer Agency has six regional centres located around the province in: Abbotsford, Prince George, Surrey, Kelowna, Vancouver and Victoria. The centres provide a broad range of services including prevention, treatment, screening, genetic counselling and supportive care.

The Fraser Valley Centre is an active research clinic contributing through clinical trials done within the facility. The research teams study new or improved cancer treatments, as well as ways to prevent and detect cancer.

Quick Facts:

• Over the next decade, the Fraser Valley region will see the most significant increase in cancer diagnoses in the province due to population growth and an increased age of the overall population.
• Projections suggest that by 2027, one in three new cancers diagnosed within the province will be within the Fraser Valley area.
• Opened in 1995, Fraser Valley Centre is located adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital and serves cancer patients from Surrey, White Rock, North Delta, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Port Moody.
• B.C. continues to lead the country with the lowest lung, colorectal, stomach and kidney cancer incidence rates.
• Spending on cancer care and research through the BC Cancer Agency has increased substantially with total expenditures at $669 million in 2015/16.
• The BC Cancer Agency’s overall drug costs have increased to $245 million in 2015/16. Over 30,000 patients in B.C. receive cancer drug therapy annually.

Quotes:

Stephanie Cadieux, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale

“This expansion will support cancer patients and their families in the Fraser Valley by improving patient-centred care thanks to an increased capacity for treatment and more space for research.”

Marvin Hunt, MLA for Surrey-Panorama

“Surrey is rapidly growing and this expansion will provide more timely access to cancer treatment, close to home. Families in the Fraser Valley will appreciate the expanded space and patient-centred care.”

Dr. Malcolm Moore, BC Cancer Agency President
“Expanding the Fraser Valley Centre is needed to better serve the fastest growing area of British Columbia. The space and resources it will provide will allow BC Cancer Agency to honour its commitment to timely access to exceptional patient-centred care. We are grateful to the BC Government, the BC Cancer Foundation and Fraser Health for their support of the expansion.”

Sarah Roth, BC Cancer Foundation President & CEO
“We are thrilled to partner with the BC Government to support this crucial expansion. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of BC Cancer Foundation donors, more British Columbians living with cancer will receive the most advanced care, closer to home.”

The BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, is committed to reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer. It provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care. For more information, visit www.bccancer.ca or follow us on Twitter @BCCancer_Agency.

The BC Cancer Foundation is the bridge that connects philanthropic support and research breakthroughs in cancer knowledge.  As the fundraising partner of the BC Cancer Agency and the largest charitable funder of cancer research in this province, we enable donors to make contributions to leading-edge research that has a direct impact on improvements to cancer care for patients in British Columbia. We fund with the goal of finding solutions. Visit www.bccancerfoundation.com to learn how you can make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer.

The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) plans, manages and evaluates selected specialty and province-wide health care services across BC, working with the five geographic health authorities to deliver province-wide solutions that improve the health of British Columbians. For more information, visit www.phsa.ca or follow us: Twitter @PHSAofBC,

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