Baptist Health Paducah plans Topping Out ceremony for Regional Cancer Care Center

The community can make their mark – literally – on the Regional Cancer Care Center under construction at Baptist Health Paducah.

(Paducah, Ky.)  Aug. 12 2016 — The community can make their mark – literally – on the Regional Cancer Care Center under construction at Baptist Health Paducah. 

The hospital will host a Topping Out ceremony at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, at the construction site near Broadway and 24th street to celebrate the final steel beam being lifted into place. The public is invited to sign the beam prior to the ceremony from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays until Aug. 23 at the Radiation Therapy entrance on Broadway. Pens are available at the Radiation Therapy registration desk.

Traditionally, in construction, topping out is a builders’ rite held when the last beam is placed atop a structure before interior finishing work and installation of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The beam is often signed by those involved in the building project and adorned with the American flag and a small evergreen tree, symbolizing hope and “the birth of life.”

“This tradition fits perfectly with the mission of the Regional Cancer Care Center” said William A. Brown, hospital president. “The center will be focused on healing and providing the same quality cancer care Baptist Health Paducah has offered since 1967. It has been designed to pull all of our services together in the most convenient and comfortable new environment for our patients and their families.”

Construction is expected to be completed next year on the two-story 44,000-square-foot center. It will feature a serene healing atmosphere with private chemotherapy rooms and family space, lab and physician offices. The existing 12,000-square-foot Earl Feezor Regional Radiation Therapy Center, adjacent to the new construction, will also be renovated.

Since 2001, Baptist Health has been Paducah area’s only nationally-accredited multi-disciplinary cancer center, treating about 1,200 patients a year, including approximately 110 outpatients daily for radiation and chemotherapy.