Local Union Donates to Cancer Center Capital Campaign

SPRINGFIELD — Transforming Cancer Care – the Capital Campaign for the Sister Caritas Cancer Center continues to gain momentum as the International Assoc. of Iron Workers Local 7 has donated $5,000 to the fund-raising project.

“The Sister Caritas Cancer Center is an important resource for the local community, and we are pleased to extend our support to this important project,” said Fiore Grassetti, industry analyst and business agent for the International Assoc. of Iron Workers Local 7, which is responsible for erecting the structural steel framework of the expansion project.

According to Grassetti, members of the union became further engaged in the project as they learned more about it, prompting them to offer their own financial support. “We are also impressed that Mercy Medical Center has made a concerted effort to employ a local and diverse workforce on this project.”

The Sister Caritas Cancer Center is in the midst of a $15 million expansion that will bring all cancer services together in one location and meet increasing demand for outpatient cancer services. In the past two years, the number of patients receiving chemotherapy at the Sister Caritas Cancer Center has increased by more than 200%. By 2022, the need for outpatient cancer services is expected to grow by 26%.

“There is no question that the importance of this expansion project resonates with leaders of the local business community, and we are grateful for their continuing support,” said Diane Dukette, vice president of Fund Development for the Sisters of Providence Health System. The project is scheduled for completion in the fall.