Franciscan Health Crown Point broke ground on the Dean and Barbara White Cancer Center on Sept. 23.
Robert McClory, bishop of the Diocese of Gary, blessed the groundbreaking. The project was made possible in part by a $30 million donation from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation. The donation is the largest gift ever received by the Franciscan Health Foundation.
“Health and wellness is one of the main focuses for our foundation,” said Bill Hanna, the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation executive director, in a press release. “The cancer center will add another asset for Northwest Indiana citizens when they need it most.”
Michigan City-based Tonn and Blank Construction will construct the three-story cancer center. The building will be on the campus of the new Franciscan Health Crown Point hospital, which opened in January 2024. The cancer diagnostic and treatment center will consolidate existing cancer care services into one location.
“With this cancer center, our goal is to provide convenient cancer screenings, early diagnosis and treatment, including important clinical trials, advanced surgical expertise and radiation therapies in a beautiful and convenient location,” said Dr. Daniel McCormick, Franciscan Health Crown Point president and CEO.
The new cancer center is scheduled to open in early 2027.
“Providing kind, considerate and well-connected care throughout a family’s journey through oncology treatment and recovery lives our mission out loud and we are very pleased to have such an aligned partner in the White family,” McCormick said.
The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation supports projects and initiatives that benefit Northwest Indiana and statewide. The foundation works to create long-term positive change and economic impact for all.
Franciscan Health began in Lafayette in 1875. The health care system has 12 hospital campuses. Franciscan Health has locations in Carmel, Crawfordsville, Crown Point, Dyer, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Michigan City, Mooresville, Munster and Rensselaer, Indiana, and in Olympia Fields, Illinois.
