MercyOne announces completion of $16M fundraising campaign for Deming Cancer Center
MercyOne announced today the successful completion of its fundraising campaign for the Richard Deming Cancer Center at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.
The $16 million fundraising campaign, the public phase of which was launched in March 2020, funds a center for cancer care at MercyOne’s downtown campus. The facility, named for the cancer center’s director, Dr. Richard Deming, will strive for “multidisciplinary, patient-centered compassionate cancer care for all Iowans in need.”
Deming, a community leader and philanthropist, is a national leader in cancer care, survivorship, advocacy and research, and has been a MercyOne radiation oncologist for more than 30 years.
“The MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center will deepen our service of the most vulnerable Iowans in need with high-quality, patient-centered care,” Steve Chapman, co-chair of the MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center Campaign, said in a press release. “We thank the hundreds of donors who made this important project possible. Their compassion and generosity will provide cutting-edge care in a compassionate, healing manner that treats our patients holistically.”
MercyOne Foundation did not announce an exact figure on donations received, but when asked, MercyOne spokeswoman Marcy Peterson said the campaign “raised the full amount — $16 million.” The fundraising campaign was initiated by a lead gift of $2 million from the Comfort Family Foundation. Through the campaign’s silent phase, which began in September 2019, MercyOne Foundation had already received commitments for about $10 million when the campaign was publicly launched.
The campaign funded three priorities:
• Comprehensive, multidisciplinary patient-centered care. The cancer center’s goal is for each patient to meet all specialists involved in his or her care in one centralized location, within 48 hours to one week of referral.
• Cutting-edge innovation and research. MercyOne Des Moines Cancer Center currently participates in more than 50 clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, and the new MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center will continue to stay on the cusp of advancements through more clinical trials and enhanced technologies, including precision medicine that allows physicians to prescribe personalized treatments based on genetic testing. The medical center has also made a $4.5 million investment to purchase a new CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery device, a noninvasive, personalized, robotic radiotherapy treatment.
• Compassionate care: A hallmark of Dr. Deming’s healing cancer ministry is compassionate care, an approach to medicine that treats the entire patient in addition to the disease. Included in this priority is the addition of nurse navigators to guide patients through every step of their treatment; expansion of comprehensive living with cancer programming that provides quality-of-life-enhancing services for patients with incurable cancer; nurturing integrative medicine services including acupuncture, meditation, massage therapy, music as therapy and art as therapy; and expansion of a survivorship program, which helps patients optimize their post-treatment health and wellness.
“We are pleased to honor Dr. Deming’s legacy of compassionate care through the new MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center,” said Suku Radia, campaign co-chair. “His focus on holistic healing of patients’ minds, bodies and spirits will ensure MercyOne is at the forefront of innovative, patient-centered care for years to come.”
More information about the MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center can be found at mercyone.org/rdcc.
The $16 million fundraising campaign, the public phase of which was launched in March 2020, funds a center for cancer care at MercyOne’s downtown campus. The facility, named for the cancer center’s director, Dr. Richard Deming, will strive for “multidisciplinary, patient-centered compassionate cancer care for all Iowans in need.”
Deming, a community leader and philanthropist, is a national leader in cancer care, survivorship, advocacy and research, and has been a MercyOne radiation oncologist for more than 30 years.
“The MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center will deepen our service of the most vulnerable Iowans in need with high-quality, patient-centered care,” Steve Chapman, co-chair of the MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center Campaign, said in a press release. “We thank the hundreds of donors who made this important project possible. Their compassion and generosity will provide cutting-edge care in a compassionate, healing manner that treats our patients holistically.”
MercyOne Foundation did not announce an exact figure on donations received, but when asked, MercyOne spokeswoman Marcy Peterson said the campaign “raised the full amount — $16 million.” The fundraising campaign was initiated by a lead gift of $2 million from the Comfort Family Foundation. Through the campaign’s silent phase, which began in September 2019, MercyOne Foundation had already received commitments for about $10 million when the campaign was publicly launched.
The campaign funded three priorities:
• Comprehensive, multidisciplinary patient-centered care. The cancer center’s goal is for each patient to meet all specialists involved in his or her care in one centralized location, within 48 hours to one week of referral.
• Cutting-edge innovation and research. MercyOne Des Moines Cancer Center currently participates in more than 50 clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, and the new MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center will continue to stay on the cusp of advancements through more clinical trials and enhanced technologies, including precision medicine that allows physicians to prescribe personalized treatments based on genetic testing. The medical center has also made a $4.5 million investment to purchase a new CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery device, a noninvasive, personalized, robotic radiotherapy treatment.
• Compassionate care: A hallmark of Dr. Deming’s healing cancer ministry is compassionate care, an approach to medicine that treats the entire patient in addition to the disease. Included in this priority is the addition of nurse navigators to guide patients through every step of their treatment; expansion of comprehensive living with cancer programming that provides quality-of-life-enhancing services for patients with incurable cancer; nurturing integrative medicine services including acupuncture, meditation, massage therapy, music as therapy and art as therapy; and expansion of a survivorship program, which helps patients optimize their post-treatment health and wellness.
“We are pleased to honor Dr. Deming’s legacy of compassionate care through the new MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center,” said Suku Radia, campaign co-chair. “His focus on holistic healing of patients’ minds, bodies and spirits will ensure MercyOne is at the forefront of innovative, patient-centered care for years to come.”
More information about the MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center can be found at mercyone.org/rdcc.
A previous Business Record article about the cancer center and Dr. Deming can be found here.
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