The sale of the City of Gadsden property to the Alabama Cancer Care Network is complete, with the city receiving $597,000 — as well as a new option in the area for patients to get cancer care.
“This development is important for providing jobs and improving the quality of life for Gadsden residents,” said Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford.
The $6.5 million investment by the Alabama Cancer Care Network will create between 15 and 20 healthcare jobs in Gadsden, along with positions for three doctors. The expected annual personnel budget will be $3 million.
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The plan has been in the works for some time and was made public in August when ACCN CEO Keith Whitley spoke to Gadsden council members about plans to build the center in Gadsden.
Alabama Cancer Care has a partnership with Riverview Regional Medical Center in Gadsden and working relationships with UAB and other hospitals across the state.
The sale of the property has been completed after it was approved in August by the previous City Council and administration.
“This facility will be state of the art, and the beautiful location near the Coosa River will hopefully give some comfort to those in pain and undergoing treatments,” Ford said.
The land is located downtown at the corner of South First Street and Riverside Drive, which provides a picturesque view of the Coosa River that will be a focus of the architectural design. In discussing the project in August, the therapeutic benefits of the location were noted.
“This development is also a prime example of why investment in the Gadsden-Etowah IDA is crucial and why it’s important to have IDA Director David Hooks working to put these deals together,” Ford said.
“The IDA has targeted health care as a primary industry for recruitment, and this development is one of the first major projects in that category,” Hooks said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing it break ground soon,” he added.
Talking about the project in August, Whitley said market studies have looked at areas that are underserved for cancer treatment, and those with a large number of patients who go to larger markets for treatment. He said Gadsden is one of those areas where people migrate to larger cities for care.
The treatment center should allow patients to receive chemotherapy and radiation treatment locally, he said, rather than adding the expense and difficulty of an hour or longer drive to Birmingham to the stress of their illness.
Whitley said when the company embarked on this business plan in 1995, he knew it would need to work with indigent patients and work to subsidize their needs.
“If you come in our door, we’re going to figure out a way to get you treated,” he said.
