Hometown Healthcare: Douglas County Board Donates $1 Million to Increase Cancer Treatment Accessibility

Access to quality healthcare helps communities like ours thrive. Since the Douglas County Health Department was established, your county leaders have been working to bring TaylorMade health solutions to Douglas County.

At a regular business meeting on Jan. 28, the Douglas County Commissioner's committee voted to approve a $1 million beneficiary agreement with the AdventHealth Rocky Mountain Foundation. The funds will be used to acquire and install AdventHealth Castle Rock's cutting-edge vision RT radiation therapy system. The investment marks a major step forward in advancing cancer treatment for residents in central and southern Douglas County.

“This is a huge step forward for Douglas County,” Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle said. “No family members have been freed from the devastating effects of cancer. This study highlights what we can do for the people of Douglas County.” Van Winkle, Thursday at the AdventHealth Rocky Mountain Foundation Fundraising Gala. On behalf of the board of directors on the night, where he presented a check to the organization.

The Vision RT Radiotherapy System is a cutting-edge technology designed to provide highly accurate and effective cancer treatments. The installation of this system will allow AdventHealth Castle Rock to provide oncology services locally, addressing the key healthcare gaps at Castle Rock. Currently, advanced cancer treatments are not available in this field, creating barriers to timely and consistent treatment.

“I don't know there's no cancer care until I need Castle Rock,” said Marcy Blair, chairman of the AdventHealth Castle Rock Foundation Board. “Eight rounds of chemotherapy and 37 rounds of radiation thank you for standing with us to bring professional cancer care to our community.”

County's contribution comes from the unpaid interest earned from Douglas County allocations under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). By leveraging this resource, the county aims to address urgent medical needs while promoting economic development.

“Supporting healthy families in Douglas County means being there for the citizens who are struggling the most. Providing cancer care in places where there was nothing before is what we are. It is a powerful investment that we believe will truly save lives and make meaningful differences in our community. Thanks to AdventHealth and the visionary cancer survivors who influenced us in their vision. “We do,” Beed Commistery shared the board chair.

“We would like to thank this innovative thinking and the AdventHealth Rocky Mountain Foundation for bringing this idea to us,” Commissioner George Thiel said. “It's a real honor to partner with the Foundation to bring this resource to our community.”

Economic impact analysis conducted by Arapahoe/Douglas Works! Workforce centres highlight the economic benefits of cancer centres.

Creating 50 new medical and surgical jobs. By giving to $5 million annual wages, an additional 69 jobs that generate $5 million in annual wages in related industries will increase the increase in local tax revenues to $242,781 each year.

The AdventHealth Rocky Mountain Foundation is working to accelerate healthcare change and fill gaps in unmet needs across the frontline range. With this $1 million beneficiary agreement, the organization aims to raise the remaining funds, although its target of $14.1 million needed for a state-of-the-art radiation center.

Find out more about the county's ARPA investments that helped fund this partnership.