UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this week, marking a decade of advanced cancer care in the community.
The facility opened its doors within the Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa (PCI) Medical Pavilion on October 5, 2015, bringing comprehensive radiation oncology services to Cedar Rapids.
“This was a huge milestone for cancer care in our community,” said Andrea Watkinson, executive director of Cancer Services for UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital. “It brought world-class radiation technology and treatment into the same building as our medical oncology and support services teams, giving patients access to their entire cancer care team and all the services they need under one roof.”
The radiation center joined existing cancer services already located within PCI, including the Nassif Community Cancer Center, which offers cancer support services such as exercise, social work and nutrition counseling, as well as PCI Hematology Oncology, which provides chemotherapy treatments.
Since opening, the center has expanded its capabilities alongside technological advances in the field.
“New technologies have made treatments more precise, faster and gentler on patients, and advancements like image-guided therapy have improved outcomes while reducing side effects,” Ms. Watkinson said. “The center has stayed at the forefront, ensuring our patients benefit from the latest innovations.”
Over the past decade, the St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center team has completed approximately 65,123 radiation treatments for 4,146 patients. The center’s staff has a combined 220 years of experience in radiation therapy.
