UPMC health system announced Thursday it has partnered with an Ireland-based provider to build a new cancer therapy center in the country.
In a joint venture, UPMC will jointly own a radiation therapy center in Cork, Ireland, with Bon Secours Health System, the country's largest private healthcare system with four hospitals and a staff of 2,800. The system is not affiliated with Bon Secours Health System in Maryland but it does have the same origins, according to Wendy Zellner, a UPMC spokeswoman.
The center will be built on the campus of Bon Secours' hospital in Cork as part of a six-story expansion. It is expected to be complete by 2019.
The venture expands UPMC's cancer services in Ireland. The Pittsburgh-based system has operated a cancer center in Waterford, Ireland since 2006. UPMC expects the two Ireland centers will share best practices. UPMC also operates a cancer center in Rome.
Bon Secours Hospital Cork, a 343-bed facility, currently offers oncology services but the partnership with UPMC will “enhance” care by providing patients with access to innovative radiation technology and clinical protocols, according to a news release.
The hospital will also have access to services from the UMPC CancerCenter, a network of more than 200 oncology physicians across 40 sites in the U.S. The international cancer centers are in constant, day-to-day contact with cancer experts that are part of the UPMC CancerCenter.
“With Bon Secours, we look forward to continuing to grow the number of patients that we can help in Ireland,” said Charles Bogosta, president of UPMC International and UPMC CancerCenter. “This investment underscores UPMC's commitment to improving cancer care in Ireland, while giving us access to knowledge and resources that will strengthen our medical and research mission in Pittsburgh and around the world.”
UPMC also has international partners in Lithuania, Colombia, Russia, Myanmar and other nations to improve cancer care worldwide.
UPMC has focused on providing global services for 20 years. The benefits for the system to provide services internationally are “multi-faceted,” Zellner said in an email. International endeavors raise UPMC's reputation, boost efforts to attract and retain physicians and staff, and generate new revenue sources.
