EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — “Hope is here,” that’s the slogan for Texas Tech Health El Paso’s (TTHEP) Fox Cancer Center, which broke ground on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The comprehensive cancer center will be the only one of its kind in West Texas, according to TTHEP officials, which they said will provide the region access to advanced and specialized cancer treatment that has been lacking.
“Currently, El Pasoans have to drive as much as 550 miles to receive cancer care in a comprehensive cancer center. We’d like to make sure that people can receive their care here in El Paso. Prevention, early detection, treatment, research, survivorship and all the surrounding support services are necessary,” said Richard Lange, president of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso.
Lange said the facility will provide access to advanced cancer treatment previously unavailable in the region, including advanced radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and support services for families.
“The biggest obstacle in the cancer journey of a patient isn’t really the diagnosis. It’s figuring out how to get treatment: imaging, facing the treatment and endless appointments of additional testing. So I think this is going to be a great, added enhancement to our community,” said Marthe Zepeda, associate director for community partnerships for the American Cancer Society.
“It is going to boost our ability to get world-level cancer care right here in our community. We do know that patients who are treated in a comprehensive cancer center have better outcomes and a higher likelihood of survival,” said Jennifer Molokwu, a physician and a professor of family medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
The facility will stand at over 350,000 square feet, and will be connected to a new Clinical Sciences Building being built at the same time. TTHEP officials said this will represent the largest building project in the history of the Texas Tech University System.
The Fox Cancer Center will have dedicated space for medical, surgical and radiation oncology, and serve up to 1,100 cancer patients annually, according to officials. They added that recent forecasts predict a significant increase in cancer care demand in El Paso by 2033; this growth is driven by a rising population, clinical capacity and trust in local providers.
TTHEP officials said their goal is to finish construction on the Fox Cancer Center by fall of 2028, and the cost of the project will total $340 million.
Officials have also said the center will allow TTHEP to expand cancer prevention and early detection services.
But beyond the treatment, officials said TTHEP envision the Fox Cancer Center will become a hub for groundbreaking cancer research, and a training ground for El Paso students to train and study in the field.
“The comprehensive cancer center will not only provide care to our individuals here in El Paso, but it will provide outstanding opportunities for training. That is to be able to train in the latest, most up-to-date treatments for cancer and also to develop an oncology fellowship training program as well. We’d like to get students from the area to train here, to train in our ecology center, and also to stay here to practice as well,” Lange said.
Taron Peebles, a battalion chief with the El Paso Fire Department, said this is also a huge development for first responders across the region, as they are trying to raise awareness that firefighters are at a dangerously high risk of developing occupational cancer.
“This is going to be huge for us because that allows us greater access. And with greater access comes greater awareness. With that awareness, we can now build upon our message of education and action. What can we do and what do we need to be doing to protect our first responders from cancer?” Peebles said.
You can learn more about the Fox Cancer Center by visiting Texas Tech Health El Paso’s website.
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