Posted on: Thursday, July 1, 2004
Cancer center 'closer' to $10 million
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
Congressional financing to the tune of $10 million for a new University of Hawai'i Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i is moving forward in the Department of Defense budget thanks to U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye.
Jennifer Sabas, a top assistant to Inouye, D-Hawai'i, said that the bill that includes the money for the cancer center has cleared the Senate and is awaiting conference. "We're pretty close," she said.
"When everything is said and done, we look to increase that $10 million by another $5, $6 or $7 million, which is our goal," Sabas said. The additional money is in a second bill that is still in committee.
"None of the other subject bills have left the station," Sabas said. "I don't think they're going to pass any of the social service-related bills until a lot closer to the election."
Sabas also said the financing "is part of the commitments the senator made not only to Dr. Carl Vogel but also Evan Dobelle."
Reached for comment, former UH president Dobelle said: "I'm always grateful to the senior senator, who always delivers on what he promises."
The initial $10 million is earmarked to create a partnership between the cancer center and Tripler Army Medical Center, said Vogel, director of the center, which is cramped in too-small headquarters next to the Board of Water Supply.
"We're trying to build a partnership between our cancer center and every hospital in the state that would like to be a part of it," Vogel said. "We felt Tripler should not be excluded. We have a task force and we're looking into collaboration in the clinical arena as well as clinical research. This will be designed so it will serve all entities involved. The concept is to improve the quality of care in the state for our cancer patients."
The expanded relationship with Tripler will offer expanded demographics for clinical trials, and will also dramatically expand the resources of the tumor tissue registry.
Vogel said local hospitals are collecting and flash-freezing tumor tissue, but the additional money will allow this program to advance more rapidly.
"With our increasing clinical activity, it will be important to increase our tissue," he said.
The second chunk of money — if approved by Congress — will be used for design planning the new $90 million cancer center next to the John A. Burns School of Medicine under construction in Kaka'ako.
Vogel said there will definitely be a clinical component to the new center when it's built, and it will work in conjunction with local hospitals to provide better patient care.
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
