7/26/05 - St. Joseph's/Candler Renames Cancer & Research Pavilion

Paul P. Hinchey
President & CEO
St. Joseph’s/Candler

Betsy Yates
Marketing & Public Relations
(912) 429-1410
yatesb@sjchs.org


St. Joseph’s/Candler Renames Cancer Care & Research Pavilion in Honor of Local Philanthropist


July 26, 2005

Midtown Savannah - One of Savannah’s most generous philanthropist is being honored today with the announcement of a new name for the Cancer Care & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler.

At the site of the $24 million freestanding cancer facility on Reynolds Street, the cancer initiative has been renamed the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have once again displayed the kind of humanitarian spirit that has strengthened this community’s structure for decades,” said Paul P. Hinchey, St. Joseph’s/Candler President and CEO, “This very generous gift by the Lewis family will allow SJ/C to continue to provide the highest level of compassion and excellence in patient care that is symbolized by the family’s name.”

Born and raised in Savannah, Julius Curtis Lewis, Jr. is a household name in Savannah. He’s the man behind Savannah’s J.C. Lewis Ford, Lewis Broadcasting Corp., J.C. Lewis Investment Co., Island Investments and CEO of J.C. Lewis Enterprises. He served as Mayor of Savannah from 1966-1970, but is most proud of his family with Nancy Nelson Lewis, including their six children: Nancy, Curtis, Walter, Wistar, Scott, and Christian.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have said they are honored to be able to make a difference in an initiative that will have a deep impact on the health of the Savannah community, as well as the entire region, for many years to come. Through a generous gift from Mr. And Mrs. Lewis, the vision of realizing highly specialized cancer care locally for patients in our community will be realized.

“Mr. Lewis has always been committed to the spiritual, social growth and health of Savannah. We’re honored to accept the Lewis family’s generous donation so that we can provide the type of cancer care that will allow Savannahians to stay in the community instead of traveling elsewhere for cancer treatment,” said Richard Moore, Chairman of the St. Joseph’s/Candler Board of Trustees.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of the Board of Directors, physicians and employees of St. Joseph’s/Candler in their support of this campaign,” said Henry H. Minis, Capital Campaign Chairman and Chairman of St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundations. “The Lewis Family’s support is truly an inspiration for the entire community to support this very important initiative.”

St. Joseph’s/Candler, Southeast Georgia’s leader in cancer diagnosis and care for the last 20 years, conducted two years of research and consultation with the medical staff before announcing plans for the new facility in September, 2003, followed by the selection of design firm Perkins & Will in October, 2003. The health system broke ground on the 56,000 square-foot Cancer Pavilion in June, 2004.

The Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion will complement the region’s existing oncology services through collaboration with the Georgia Cancer Coalition. But the pavilion will also provide access to cancer subspecialty care not currently available in Savannah. The initiative includes an $8 million expansion to Savannah Oncology Center’s radiation therapy equipment to be housed in the Pavilion and will provide local oncology patients and their families with specialized outpatient cancer care and research through the combination of focused patient care and the newest developments in cancer care technology.

One in three people in the Coastal Empire will be diagnosed with cancer, creating the need for more innovative, less replicated cancer care. In addition to a focus on subspecialty cancer care not currently available in Savannah, patients will benefit from translational research and integrative medicine that applies groundbreaking cancer developments to their targeted therapy.

Eighty percent of cancer patients get their care at community hospitals. This new model of community cancer care simultaneously allows site-specific concentration while focusing on the whole patient and the patient’s family.

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