DICKSON CITY, Pa. — Geisinger is investing $58 million into a new facility in Dickson City so residents of Lackawanna County can stay close to home for cancer care.
"We have a cancer center right now that lives within the hospital walls in CMC. We've literally outgrown our walls, so this is another opportunity to bring the community a brand new cancer center," said Renee Blakiewicz, Clinical Operations Associate Vice President.
By adding new services plus doubling the infusion bays and exam rooms, Geisinger hopes to eliminate the need for patients to travel to different places across the state.
"We're going to add services here that we don't have in the Scranton area under Geisinger. We're going to add radiation oncology here, we're going to have our pal care program here. All of those will bring consolidated care to the community so Patients don't have to go anywhere else but this building to get cancer care in the community," said Blakiewicz.
Dickson City Mayor Ben MacCallum says the benefits are multi-faceted.
"A facility like this is going to add more jobs; it gives people a cancer center. People from the area, people in my family, friends are going to have another opportunity, a choice of where to go," said McCallum, Dickson City Mayor.
Neighboring businesses are anticipating an economic boom because of the cancer center as well.
"When they're complete, they're talking six to seven hundred employees, plus patients, plus staff, I mean, how could it not be better for us," said John Crew, Ford Dealership.
Geisinger plans to start construction soon and open the cancer center in 2023.
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