The second phase of the University of California, Irvineโs $1.3 billion medical complex is complete with the opening of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building.
The five-story, 225,000-square-foot building triples the available space of the flagship center in Orange, which is one of 57 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, officials said.
โWith us opening in Irvine, patients that are diagnosed with cancer in Orange County are going to be able to find the latest, most innovative treatments, including clinical studies that can save their lives,โ Physician-in-Chief Emad Elquza told the Business Journal.
The new cancer center opening in July comes three years after breaking ground in 2021.
In April, the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care, a 168,000-square-foot outpatient facility, opened within the UCI HealthโIrvine medical complex. The third and final phase of the project, a 144-bed acute care hospital, is scheduled to open in late 2025. Joe Wen and his family donated $20 million to UCI Health in 2022. Last month, the family gave an additional $50 million to UCI.
The Chao Family in 2021 donated $50 million to UCI Health.
Donor Gifts
The cancer center saw more than 160 patients on opening day, with many coming nearby from Irvine and Newport Beach, Elquza said.
โWe felt that the patients of Orange County needed a cancer center like ours in their backyard so they can have these treatments closer to home,โ Elquza said.
It has 52 private exam rooms, 42 infusion rooms and eight outpatient surgical suites, among other features.
Several aspects of the center were designed to revolve around the patient experience, including an outdoor infusion terrace on the fourth floor where patients can receive their treatment outside. Patients that have been cleared by staff will no longer โhave to be tied to the infusion chair,โ Elquza said. Instead, they can enjoy unobstructed views of the San Joaquin Marsh from the terrace.
The terrace is named after a $2 million gift from Nicholas Conway and the Betty L. Sha Family Foundation made last year.
One of the floors of the center also bears the names of longtime donors Ralph and Sue Stern, who have donated more than $12.5 million to date to UCI Health.
Stem Cell Program
The cancer center is home to Orange Countyโs only adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant program, which is currently located at UCI Healthโs main campus in Orange.
The program has performed more than 200 blood and bone marrow-derived stem cell transplants since its founding in May 2020.
โStem cell transplant programs require a lot of care thatโs not just cancer care,โ Elquza said. โOftentimes, patients that receive stem cell treatments will have other medical issues that will require management by other specialties like infectious disease cardiologists.โ
