Paso Del Norte Health Foundation Announces $5 Million Grant to First and Only Cancer Center to Serve West Texas and Borderplex Region
EL PASO, Texas, September 26, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Texas Tech Health El Paso, along with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, on Sept. 24 announced a historic $5 million grant to support the future Steve and Nancy Fox Cancer Center. The center, to be constructed on the Texas Tech Health El Paso campus, will be the first and only comprehensive cancer center to serve the West Texas and Borderplex region.
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, and Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., president of Texas Tech Health El Paso, were joined by PdNHF CEO Tracy J. Yellen and Amy Marcus, chair of the foundation’s allocation committee, for the announcement at Texas Tech Health El Paso.
“As we’ve worked to provide increased access to life-saving care and resources in the Borderplex region and beyond, the Paso del Norte Foundation has been by our side,” Chancellor Mitchell said. “Their generosity has helped us leverage the dollars invested by our state legislature for the Fox Cancer Center into new levels of excellence. This grant is another testament to their dedication to serving those in our communities who need it most.”
Dr. Lange described it as a foundational grant because it’s among the first funding cornerstones for the Fox Cancer Center. Designs for the center are underway, and it’s scheduled to open in 2026. Currently, the closest cancer centers are in Albuquerque, 250 miles away, and Houston, nearly 750 miles away.
The $5 million grant will fund the recruitment of top-tier specialists for the Fox Cancer Center, including experts in cancers prevalent in our region: breast cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, genitourinary cancers and gynecologic cancers.
Additionally, the grant will fund the hiring of a Patient Support Services Unit director. The unit will include patient navigators, nutritionists, and other trained staff to ensure the Fox Cancer Center is patient-centric. This initiative is driven by El Paso community leader Steve Fox, whose successful cancer treatment experience at MD Anderson inspired this top-priority project.
“The Paso del Norte Health Foundation supports efforts to grow the number of health professionals who provide quality care for our region’s residents,” Yellen said. “The foundation is proud to make this grant to Texas Tech Health El Paso to attract top cancer specialists and support patient navigation for the Fox Cancer Center.”
Steve Fox’s own experience with cancer treatment required extensive travel and placed significant strain on his family. His efforts to bring a cancer center to El Paso culminated in 2023 when the Texas legislature approved a $65 million appropriation for the planning and construction of the Fox Cancer Center. In August 2023, the Fox family made a historic $25 million investment toward the project.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death among Hispanics in the U.S., and El Paso’s 83% Hispanic population is disproportionately affected. The National Cancer Institute reports an average of 395 cancer cases per 100,000 Hispanics in the region, surpassing the Texas average of 346 cases per 100,000. Moreover, a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology projects a 142% rise in cancer cases among Hispanics in the coming years.
Unfortunately, Hispanics account for less than 4% of participants in cancer research and clinical trials. The Fox Cancer Center will help address this disparity by increasing Hispanic participation in research, vital for developing more effective treatments tailored to this community.
Research shows patients treated at comprehensive cancer centers have higher survival rates due to access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials. Once complete, the Fox Cancer Center will consolidate outpatient services, including cancer imaging, treatment, research, clinical trials, and community outreach.
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It’s a designated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation students.
Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a proudly diverse and uniquely innovative destination for education and research.
With a mission of eliminating health care barriers and creating life-changing educational opportunities for Borderplex residents, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,400 doctors, nurses and researchers over the past decade, and will add dentists to its alumni beginning in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Marty Otero at 915-215-6017 or news.ep@ttuhsc.edu
Patrick Espinoza at 915-204-2370 or news.ep@ttuhsc.edu
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Source: Texas Tech Health El Paso
