Marquette General Foundation

For You. For the U.P. For Life

More than 1,000 people a year are diagnosed with cancer in the Upper Peninsula.     Accelerating the Future Campaign Video   The Marquette General Cancer Center is the only program in the U.P. accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.  To ensure its patients continue to receive the highest quality cancer care with leading-edge technology, the Marquette General Cancer Center is planning a major upgrade. Marquette General Health System, the Marquette General Cancer Center and the Marquette General Foundation formally announced an ambitious $4 million fundraising campaign to purchase a new Linear Accelerator and CT Simulator for the Radiation Oncology Department at Marquette General.     Copyright ©2008, Varian Medical Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.

* Tours Now Available         * Neenah Paper’s Munising Mill pledges $25,000 gift         * Capital Campaign Donors         * Consider an On line Gift Now         * UPLift Newsletter         * Printable Giving Form         * See TV 6 News story here         * A message from our Board Chair         * Photos of the new equipment         * MGHS Employee Campaign         * Patient testimonial Renee Prusi Cancer Survivor Honorary Chair Negaunee, MI       Update: Thru November 17, more than $2.1 million has been raised!

The “Accelerating the Future Capital Campaign” is the first undertaken by the Marquette General Foundation, which recently celebrated its five-year anniversary.

 “We all know someone, perhaps it’s a friend or family member, who has been affected by cancer,” said Pat Bray, President of the Marquette General Foundation. “Acquiring enhanced technology is the most critical and immediate goal of the Cancer Center. This new state-of-the-art technology will ensure that the most advanced radiation treatment care is available close to home.”

Dr. Daniel Arnold, a hematologist/oncologist at Marquette General, who along with Capital Campaign Chair Dr. Aaron Scholnik, helped build the cancer program at Marquette General. He explains the need to invest in new technology.

“We take great pride in this designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. This recognizes that our patients can receive all three forms of treatment – chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery at Marquette General,” Dr. Arnold said. “Studies going back 25 years consistently show our patient results are at or above the national standards. That’s why this investment is so important for radiation oncology treatment at Marquette General. Our patients and their families deserve to have the very best. That’s what this campaign is all about.”

The cost of the new Linear Accelerator, CT Simulator and necessary facility renovations is approximately $6 million. Marquette General has committed $2 million as a capital expense, leaving $4 million to be raised. Of that, a little over $2 million has already been raised through gifts made by the MGHS and Foundation boards, MGHS employees and physicians.

Dr. Arnold, who also chairs the Marquette General Foundation Board of Directors, said the new technology will replace an aging accelerator that, while serviceable, is in need of being replaced.

“This new technology enhances patient care by even more precise targeting of tumors to protect healthy tissue,” said Dr. Arnold, noting the Marquette General Cancer Center has participated in cancer research for 25 years. “It will have the ability to rapidly alter treatments to match changes in the tumor over time. More importantly, patients will experience shorter treatment times and recover more quickly.”

The current equipment, Dr. Arnold said, was cutting edge when acquired nearly two decades ago.

“The current machine provides radiation therapy that meets the standard of care,” he said. “However, it has not kept pace with advances in the field that provide more and enhanced treatment options. For example, our patients can no longer take part in clinical trials of new radiation-based treatments. Additionally, maintenance and repairs of the existing equipment are costly and could, in rare occasions, disrupt treatment for some patients.”

Bray said that when a feasibility study was conducted a couple of years ago to gauge what area of Marquette General would best benefit from philanthropic support, improving cancer technology rose to the top of the list.

 “Charitable support from the community and region will make it possible for more treatment options, faster treatment procedures, and a greater ability to stay close to home for almost any cancer care need,” he said.

A. Gary Muller, FACHE, MGHS President and CEO, said many hospitals across the country have been hard hit by a poor economy. Thus, the need for philanthropy to help hospitals invest in new equipment has never been greater.

“Hospitals throughout the country rely upon the generosity of people and businesses to provide philanthropic support,” Muller said. “We have not reached out to the community in the past, as most hospitals have routinely done for decades. All of us can now be part of assuring a bright future for cancer patients in the U.P.”

Accelerating the Future Campaign Chairs,
from left, Dr. Aaron Scholnik, Frida Waara and John Jilbert.

The Capital Campaign chairs are John Jilbert, Dr. Scholnik and Frida Waara. Jilbert is a longtime area businessman and former owner of Jilbert’s Dairy; Scholnik is a practicing hematologist/oncologist at Marquette General; and Waara is an inspirational speaker and team builder who lives and works in Marquette.

Thank you for your support of this historic first-ever capital campaign at Marquette General!

 
For more information about the Accelerating the Future Capital Campaign,
call 225-6914 or toll-free at 1-866-906-6914.