$22M cancer clinic set to open in Penticton Regional Hospital

A new and improved cancer treatment facility is opening at Penticton Regional Hospital next week.

The $22 million Community Oncology Network at 550 Carmi Avenue is scheduled to open Monday, June 23, according to a Ministry of Infrastructure press release.

“Dignity is important when patients and their families are going through a traumatic time in their lives, but now they can do it in an area everyone deserves,” a patient and volunteer at the hospital Barb George said in the release. “The new area will make it better for all the oncology staff members to complete the various treatments required for each individual in a more spacious and updated area, while they are helping people through their healing process.”

The space is three times larger than the previous cancer facility, it has modern equipment, more privacy for patients, it will have a shorter wait time and it’s most comfortable for patients and staff.

The plan is for this clinic to address the increasing demand for cancer treatment.

“So many people have been affected by cancer in some way,” Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma said in the release. “The upgraded Community Oncology Network clinic will make it easier for people in the Okanagan to access the cancer treatment and care they need, closer to home with the support of their families and loved ones.”

The project has been a collaboration between the B.C. government, Interior Health, the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District and the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation.

The new clinic is part of the province’s 10-year cancer action plan to deliver better care for cancer patients in B.C.

“This new, modern clinic will help patients and their loved ones heal. The upgraded space will support collaborative, team-based care leading to better outcomes for patients and a better work environment for care providers,” Minister of Health Josie Osborne said in the release.