Beaumont Hospitals Approved For Proton Center

July 9, 2008 – Beaumont Hospitals today received approval from the Michigan Department of Community Health to develop the state’s first proton therapy center. The center is expected to be operational by 2010. Beaumont filed a Certificate of Need application on March 3 for approval to develop the $159-million facility.

The hospitals’ next steps will be to work with its partner, ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., to develop the site plan for placement of the facility on Beaumont’s Royal Oak campus and to work with local government to obtain plan approval. Beaumont is continuing discussions with other hospitals about joining its proton partnership with ProCure.

“We are very pleased to have received approval to move forward with our plans to bring proton therapy to Michigan as quickly as possible,” says Kenneth Matzick, president and CEO, Beaumont Hospitals.

The new center will not only save lives, it will bring significant economic growth to Michigan by generating more than 400 new construction jobs in the region. Once the center is operational, it will also create an additional 100 high-paying health care jobs. Based on the experience of other proton therapy centers in the country, people will travel to Southeast Michigan for the therapy from other states or countries, contributing millions of dollars to the local economy through hotels, restaurants and other services.

“We also hope to attract manufacturing and training jobs to Michigan by leveraging ProCure’s relationships with the companies that produce proton therapy equipment,” says Matzick.

Frank Vicini, M.D., chief, Oncology Services, says: “This is a great day for cancer treatment in Michigan. Proton therapy is the most precise and effective form of radiation therapy available today. It can precisely target a tumor, reducing radiation exposure to healthy tissues and reducing side effects, allowing patients to receive more effective treatment doses.”

The proton therapy center will be accessible to patients throughout Michigan and beyond. Qualified doctors across the state will be able to treat their patients at the center after being fully credentialed.

ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. provides leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of proton therapy centers. This reduces the time, effort and cost involved in bringing proton therapy to the patients with cancer who can benefit from this advanced treatment.

Nearly 50,000 people worldwide have received proton therapy at centers in Europe, Asia and the United States. There are five proton centers currently in operation in the United States.

Beaumont diagnoses more cancer patients than any other hospital in the state and is a leading provider of radiation oncology in Michigan. The proton center will have the capacity to treat more than 1,500 cancer patients a year. Beaumont plans to become the national expert for treatment of recurrent cancer with proton therapy through the research at its center.

Under the direction of Alvaro Martinez, M.D., chairman, Radiation Oncology, Beaumont is a world leader in radiation oncology research and treatment. Beaumont radiation oncologists and physicists have invented and patented new technology, enhancing therapeutic radiation’s effectiveness and reducing treatment time. Beaumont’s Royal Oak hospital ranks 38th for cancer on the 2007 list of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.

Beaumont Hospitals is a three-hospital regional health care provider with 1,711 licensed beds, 16,000 employees and 3,000 physicians in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. In addition to its hospitals, Beaumont operates numerous community-based medical centers in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, five nursing centers, a research institute, home care services and hospice. Visit Beaumont on the Web at www.beaumonthospitals.com.

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