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Karmanos Cancer Institute to Purchase St. John Detroit Riverview Hospital

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 April 2007, 12:01 CDT

DETROIT, April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute announced today it intends to purchase St. John Detroit Riverview Hospital from St. John Health and will relocate all its clinical operations to the new site.

"As we have continued to expand and as the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) has attracted new business, we simply have run out of room at our current location," said Karmanos President and Chief Executive Officer John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D.

"We will continue our strong partnership affiliation with the DMC. While sharing some services with the DMC has worked well for us, we look forward to a campus where we can operate clinical services in a way that is designed specifically for the needs of cancer patients," he said. "While Karmanos Cancer Institute and the DMC have been separate corporate entities since 2005, we have strong roots with the DMC and will continue to pursue additional ways to expand our relationship to work together with them on many issues as we move forward."

"The new location will assure us the space we need to continue to grow to serve our expanding patient base while remaining accessible to those we serve at our current location," he said. "The fact that East Jefferson is a high development area and that we will be participating in the continued rebirth of Detroit makes this move even more attractive for us."

Ruckdeschel said Karmanos, Michigan's only independent cancer hospital, will begin a $20 million renovation of the East Jefferson campus as soon as possible and expects to move to the new location in the fall of 2008. When the renovations are completed, he said, Karmanos will have significantly expanded facilities compared to its current location.

"The new facility will enable us to elevate the level of service we offer all of our patients," Ruckdeschel said. "For example, the new facility will allow us to provide private rooms exclusively for those who are hospitalized, something we cannot do now. We also will have our own operating rooms and our own radiology department, which we believe will be a great benefit for our patients.

"At the same time, since the majority of our patients are treated on an outpatient basis, our ability to expand those facilities and have additional parking at the new site is especially important."

He estimated about 1,000 employees will be located at the new location once it is fully operational.

"This is good news for Detroit and the southeast Michigan region," said Elliot Joseph, St. John Health President and CEO. "We are pleased to have an organization like Karmanos build upon the investments St. John Health has made in the Riverfront community. At the same time, the sale helps St. John Health to be good stewards of its resources so we can continue to serve Detroit through our vibrant health programs and services."

Ruckdeschel said the Karmanos Cancer Center currently utilizes about 240,000 square feet of clinical space, not counting space provided by the DMC

for services such as nutrition, food service, radiology, operating rooms, and other infrastructure needs. The Riverview hospital facility and two adjacent office buildings offer almost double that space, greatly expanding the room available even after providing space for the services it now shares with the DMC.

Ruckdeschel said Karmanos also will continue its long-standing relationship with the Wayne State Medical School. Karmanos is the medical school's only exclusively faculty-based hospital.

He said the location on East Jefferson Avenue just two miles east of I-375 will provide convenient access from throughout the region. The fact that the new facility will have many more parking spaces than Karmanos has available at its current location will add to patient convenience, he said.

"We are confident that the Detroit Riverview community will continue to be well served by Detroit's three major medical centers, including St. John Hospital and Medical Center, where a major expansion will bring additional high-quality primary, emergency, diagnostic and cardiovascular services into the area," Joseph said.

Ruckdeschel said another benefit of the move is the improved access it will provide to cancer screening, education and treatment programs for residents of Detroit's near east side.

"The establishment of our new location and our commitment to the surrounding community will greatly improve access to and utilization of these programs for residents who live in the area," he said.

Riverview was opened in 1987 and merged with St. John Health in 1997.

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is one of 39 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Caring for more than 6,000 new patients annually on a budget of $216 million, conducting more than 700 cancer-specific scientific investigation programs and clinical trials, the Karmanos Cancer Institute is among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of 1,000 staff, including nearly 300 faculty members, and supported by thousands of volunteer and financial donors, the Institute strives to prevent, detect and eradicate all forms of cancer.

St. John Health is the largest provider of inpatient care in Southeast Michigan and one of the largest employers in metro Detroit. St. John Health provides comprehensive prevention, primary care and advanced treatment programs with more than 100 medical centers, and eight hospitals spanning five counties.

Karmanos Cancer Institute

CONTACT: Linda Remington of the Karmanos Cancer Institute,+1-313-576-8614 (Direct Line), +1-313-820-1414 (Cell), or Deborah Reinheimerof St. John Health, +1-586-753-0726

Web site: http://www.karmanos.org/

Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire

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