City Officials got a first view of progress on New York’s first advanced cancer treatment facility, the New York Proton Center (NYPC) in East Harlem.
The NYPC will be the first proton beam therapy facility in the State of New York, and will provide advanced cancer treatment using targeted radiation and beam therapy that has been found to be especially effective on pediatric, head and neck, and eye cancers.
“At EDC, our job is to keep New York City economically competitive while being an incubator of innovation – and the New York Proton Center helps us do both,” said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett. “New York’s hospitals are home to the best doctors and researchers in the country, and through this project we are creating access to the newest technology so they can continue leading the war on cancer.”
“Cutting-edge healthcare facilities and affordable housing should go hand-in-hand more often,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “I’m thrilled to see this new, state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility in East Harlem, and pleased that it’s part of an integrated development plan that provides much-needed affordable apartments.”
“Having the first Proton Center ever in the state to be debuted in El Barrio/East Harlem is a welcome change and will put this neighborhood on the map as an area where new cutting-edge technology is found,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverto. “It’s my hope that with this Center, more and more leading healthcare institutions will look to El Barrio as a place to invest. I want to thank EDC in true partnership with us and for their collaboration and their vision to bring this state-of-the-art treatment facility to the community.”
NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer and Diane Collier, Community Board 11 Chair were a few who were on the tour of the NYPC, currently under construction. The next stage of the project will be the final installation of the proton beam equipment, which is expected to take approximately one year to complete.
The project has committed to utilizing the City’s HireNYC program. NYPC will create 125 permanent jobs, 14 contract service jobs and partnerships with local colleges to provide approximately 16 internships per year.
Today, there are 25 proton centers in the United States. The nearest facility for New Yorkers is in Somerset, New Jersey. NYPC is operated by a consortium of three New York healthcare institutions ~ Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Health System, Mount Sinai Health System, and ProHEALTH Proton Management LLC.
The East Harlem Proton Center will feature three 300-ton gantries, which rotate around patients to deliver radiation.
The New York Proton Center expects to see its first patient in February 2019 at 201-225 East 126th Street. It is expected to treat 1,500 patients a year. The NYPC is part of the East 125th Street Development, a NYCEDC-led project.
Check out East 125th Street ~ A Work in Progress for Updates.