Dana-Farber gets state approval to build cancer hospital in Boston. Here's what it will look like.
Dana-Farber got the green light from the Massachusetts Public Health Council on Thursday to build a new cancer hospital in Boston.
The 300-bed facility is coming to the Longwood Medical Area on the campus of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dana-Farber says it will be the only hospital of its kind in the region.
The number of new cancer cases is growing, Dana-Farber says, with 44,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed in Massachusetts this year.
"This is an extraordinary opportunity for Boston and the Commonwealth," Dana-Farber CEO Dr. Benjamin Ebert said in a statement. "While the incidence of cancer is rising, what we do now will determine our ability to meet the pace of the disease here and across the region."
New cancer hospital in Boston
The $1.7 billion project is expected to create thousands of jobs and give more specialized care to patients battling cancer. The new hospital will be at the site of the Joslin Diabetes Center on Brookline Avenue.
Renderings show the new hospital's location next to Beth Israel and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The State House News Service reported that Mass General Brigham raised concerns about the project, such as whether the new hospital will be able to fill 300 beds and if other community providers will lose workers to Dana-Farber.
"The loss of these providers and the competition for a limited labor pool where DFCI is at the top of the market for nursing care will certainly drive up labor costs and the total cost of medical care in general," MGB Cancer physician-in-chief Dr. David Ryan said.
Earlier this week, Mass General Brigham said it will spend $400 million on cancer care. Their current cancer care partnership with Dana-Farber is set to end in the fall of 2028.
