EDGEWOOD, Ky. — As the new St. Elizabeth Cancer Center nears completion, patients, families and others in the community were invited to take part in the milestone by signing their names to the final steel beam of the construction.
“This cancer center is being built for the benefit of the community and with the support of the community,” Garren Colvin, President and CEO of St. Elizabeth, said in a news release. "This final beam signifies the unity of people throughout our region who have come together to change the cancer outcome for our families, friends and future generations.”
The new five-story, 250,000 square-foot center boasts some of the most advanced cancer-related technology in the region, and the hope is this will help make northern Kentucky one of the healthiest regions in the country. This hope translates over to the community.
Mark and Roxeina Hanks, northern Kentucky residents, have known many people affected by cancer. Roxeina lost her father to colon cancer in 1991, and a friend of theirs lost a child recently too. Construction of the new center makes them look forward to the future.
"It's exciting to see how far we have come in the cure for cancer," Hank said. "I think it's going to be a good thing... If they want to invest this much into a cancer research center, to me, it's a sign of something good happening."
A 'topping off' ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, where the signed, final beam will be set. The center is scheduled to open to the public in 2020.
