Foundations Complete at Region's First Proton Therapy Center

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The massive concrete and steel foundations are complete, and construction is on schedule for a 2014 opening of the Provision Center for Proton Therapy.  It will be the first proton therapy center in the region and serve cancer patients primarily from Tennessee and neighboring Southeastern states, including Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

Elected officials and community leaders gathered Friday in Knoxville to mark the completion of foundation work at the 90,000-square-foot, $119 million development. Featuring three treatment units, the Center brings to the region an advanced cancer treatment capability that presently is available in only a handful of cities. When completed it will be one of fewer than 15 in the nation. The currently operating facilities serving our region are in Bloomington, Ind., Hampton, Va., and Jacksonville, Fla.

Provision Trust is developing the project. Terry Douglass, its chairman, is an engineer and business executive who co-founded and led CTI Molecular Imaging. That company was sold to Siemens in 2005, and the sale provided a portion of the capital that formed Provision Trust.

Speakers at the event included Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, who commented that "the Provision Center for Proton Therapy is a great example of entrepreneurial re-investment in Tennessee, and it will have a significant economic impact on our state.  It also will bring advanced healthcare and hope and healing to more than a thousand patients each year when it opens."

The Provision Center for Proton Therapy joins a list of cancer innovation stalwarts that operate proton therapy centers, including M.D. Anderson, Loma Linda Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and soon, the Mayo Clinic.

Benefits of Proton Therapy

Proton therapy has significant benefits for patients when compared to traditional radiation therapy. It significantly reduces side effects, and patients are generally able to continue their daily activities during their course of treatment.  Proton therapy is particularly suited for the treatment of brain, prostate, head and neck, lung and breast cancers. It is also vital for treating pediatric cancers because it significantly reduces damage to healthy, growing organs surrounding many cancers in young children.

About Provision Health Alliance

Provision Health Alliance (PHA) is a comprehensive healthcare campus located at Dowell Springs on Middlebrook Pike in Knoxville, Tenn. PHA is committed to the development of new, innovative, comprehensive healthcare product and service solutions that will make major improvements in patient care, outcomes, and value. More at http://provisionha.com.

Story Resources

The following media resources are available at our online media room, located at http://provisionproton.com/media-room/:

• construction progress photographs
• images of the cyclotron and treatment bays
• facility renderings
• event photographs with Governor Haslam (high resolution)
• event b-roll video (broadcast HD)

SOURCE Provision Health Alliance