Torrance Memorial Medical Center Celebrates Donor Open House of The Donald
& Priscilla Hunt Cancer Center
Ribbon-cutting ceremony signifies the opening of the Patient-Centered Environment
that Consolidates Cancer Treatment Services into One Location
TORRANCE, CA, November 6, 2019 – On Wednesday evening, nearly 200 invited guests celebrated with docent-led
tours of the Donald and Priscilla Hunt Cancer Center that will officially
open to its first patients on December 16. The event celebrated and acknowledged
the generous donations from the Donald and Priscilla Hunt family, Jake
and Betty Belin, David and Barbara Bentley and Francesca and Doug Deaver.
The formal program closed with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting led by Priscilla
Hunt in honor of her family’s generous donation of $34M to make
the Center possible.
President and CEO of Torrance Memorial, Craig Leach, began the ceremony
with welcoming remarks and stated the Donald and Priscilla Hunt Cancer
Center took only 16 months to build, was completed on time and on budget.
He further acknowledged the magnitude and efforts of many to bring this
dream of a consolidated cancer care center into reality for the South
Bay community. Dr. Hugo Hool, chairman of Torrance Memorial’s oncology
committee and director of Hunt Cancer Center said, “We couldn’t
be more excited for the South Bay and its residents when we think about
what this means to our patients and our community.” Torrance Memorial’s
medical oncologist Dr. David Chan also spoke by acknowledging and thanking
the donors for their generous contributions and philanthropic efforts.
He also highlighted the benefits the Donald and Priscilla Hunter Cancer
Center will bring to the community.
Dr. Dan Theodorescu from Cedars-Sinai spoke on how the cross-disciplinary
collaboration and affiliation between the two hospitals will expand and
strengthen clinical trials across all cancer types. ESPN Sports reporter
Shelly Smith was a guest speaker who joked, “This is the first time
I’ve spoken to my cancer care team with all my clothes on.”
She also shared her survivor story and personal journey with cancer and
expressed her gratitude for the exceptional care she received.
The highlight of the evening program was the closing ceremonial ribbon-cutting
and heartfelt remarks from Priscilla Hunt. “I often use the expression
‘health is wealth,’” Priscilla Hunt said. “Thanks
to care received at Torrance Memorial, our long-time receptionist Angela
at Hunt Enterprises survived stage-four cancer and is back at work today.
My sister’s life was extended long enough to see her first grandchild
born. Because I have the means to give, I am doing so to help others have
more time with the people they care about.”
The Hunt Cancer Center is a 38,000 square-foot facility designed to consolidate
and strengthen cancer care in the South Bay. The Center is named after
the late Donald Hunt, founder of South Bay-based Hunt Enterprises, and
his wife Priscilla. Hunt Cancer Center patients will benefit from Torrance
Memorial’s recent affiliation with Cedars-Sinai through access to
new and innovative clinical trials and a team of subspecialists, who treat
more than 60 types of cancer, from common to rare to complex.
The Center, designed by c|a ARCHITECTS of Long Beach, includes a private
underground parking garage designed to provide oncology patients direct
access to the lobby to help preserve their privacy during visits. The
interior of the cancer center is designed to provide a hopeful environment,
integrating natural light with calming shades of blues and greens associated
with healing and reflective of its proximity to the ocean.
The Hunt Cancer Center creates a patient-centered environment that consolidates
cancer treatment services to one location including its nurse navigators,
cancer education, genetic counseling services, clinical research trials,
chemo and infusion therapies. The clinic spaces are designed with spacious
exam rooms that allow practitioners, patients and multiple family members
an interactive environment for the discussion and diagnosis of their care.
The Center offers a 32-bay infusion center located on the second floor
surrounded by windows to allow natural light during treatment. Each patient
will have their own generously-sized bay with access to a multimedia info-tainment
system and room for a supportive guest as desired during treatment. The
Center’s location adjacent to the Polak Imaging Pavilion will grant
added convenience for patients in need of diagnostic imaging.
The Center is the new home of the highly-acclaimed Torrance Memorial Physician
Network - Cancer Care, which has served South Bay cancer patients and
their families for more than 50 years. Torrance Memorial Physician Network
offers a team of more than 70 highly-trained personnel and practitioners,
ranging from physicians active in cancer research to chemotherapy-certified
nurses to fully-licensed medical assistants to laboratory technologists.
Hunt Cancer Center patients will continue to benefit from the comprehensive
services offered through Torrance Memorial’s Hunt Cancer Institute.
These range from cutting-edge diagnostic tools, such as 3D mammography,
to a multidisciplinary tumor board which closely reviews and discusses
tumor images and complex oncology cases with a team approach to treatment.
It also offers the most advanced tools available, such as the TrueBeam®
Radiotherapy System known for delivering radiation with extraordinarily
high precision to spare healthy tissue, and the da Vinci Xi ® Surgical
System, also called the da Vinci robot, which takes the least invasive
surgical approach available.
The Hunt family, whose real estate company portfolio includes more than
4,000 residential units, industrial buildings, shopping centers among
other assets, has pledged $34 million to Torrance Memorial—the second
largest family gift in the more than 90-year history of the medical center.
To learn more about the Hunt Cancer Institute, visit:
www.torrancememorial.org or call 310-325-9110.
ABOUT THE HUNT CANCER INSTITUTE
The Hunt Cancer Institute at Torrance Memorial is a fully accredited cancer program by the American College of Surgeons
Commission on Cancer. Its community of cancer experts provides highly-skilled
care and compassionate support and services throughout the journey of
cancer treatment and beyond. From screening through diagnosis and treatment
into survivorship, the Hunt Cancer Institute is fully dedicated to the
principle of complete care for people with cancer and their loved ones.
ABOUT TORRANCE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER
Founded in 1925 by Jared Sidney and Helena Childs Torrance, Torrance Memorial
Medical Center is a 512-bed, nonprofit medical center established to provide
quality health care services predominantly to the residents of the South
Bay, Peninsula and Harbor communities. Torrance Memorial seeks to offer
the most current and effective medical technologies rendered in a compassionate,
caring manner. No longer just a hospital, today Torrance Memorial Medical
Center includes an extensive integrated system of physicians and comprehensive
medical services to provide coordinated communication and continuum of
care. Torrance Memorial is affiliated with Cedars-Sinai under the umbrella
of Cedars-Sinai Health System. Torrance Memorial’s nursing program
has earned coveted Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes
nursing excellence. Torrance Memorial Medical Center has once again been
recognized as a Best Hospital for 2019-20 for the eighth straight year by
U.S. News & World Report, placing the hospital in the top 3% in the state. Torrance Memorial moved
up to the position of 12th highest ranking hospital for overall hospital
quality in the state of California. In addition, Torrance Memorial’s
orthopedic program was included in the national rankings for the first
time at #42. For more information, please visit:
www.TorranceMemorial.org.
ABOUT c|a ARCHITECTS
c|a ARCHITECTS is a 40-person health care design firm, providing full architectural
and interior design services as well as space planning, lean planning
and master planning services. From landmark medical campuses to intimate
imaging suites, c|a ARCHITECTS has specialized in California medical design
for the last 26 years. The firm continues to plan and design exceptional
environments that promote healing while meeting the industry’s planning,
efficiency and technical demands. c|a ARCHITECTS’ ingenuity, technical
expertise and attention to detail consistently place its projects at the
forefront of cutting-edge design. This is achieved through an extensive
knowledge and talent base, as well as a collaborative environment, passion
for outstanding results and dedicated customer service.
CONTACT:
Julie Taylor, Manager, Marketing and Communications
Phone: 310-517-4706
E-mail:
julie.taylor@tmmc.com