UC Davis/ Fremont-Rideout Cancer Center break ground on expansion project in Marysville

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Aug. 3, 2011 - A new era in cancer care will be celebrated in Marysville today with the groundbreaking of a major expansion of the Fremont-Rideout Cancer Center.

The event, jointly held by Fremont-Rideout Health Group and UC Davis Health System, will highlight their important partnership to provide advanced cancer care to patients in the Marysville and Yuba City communities.

Fremont-Rideout is part of the UC Davis Cancer Care Network, a group of community hospitals that provides first-rate care to patients close to their homes. The network utilizes state-of-the art teleconferencing technology linking community-based oncologists with UC Davis Cancer Center specialists to determine the best treatments for individual patients. The affiliation also provides opportunities to assess patients for clinical trial participation.

Ann Madden Rice, UC Davis Medical Center Chief Executive Officer, one of several UC Davis Health System leaders on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony, said she was proud of the flourishing 12-year partnership between UC Davis and Fremont-Rideout.

"This affiliation helps us fulfill an important mission to extend our expertise to communities throughout Northern California, while improving care and quality of life for cancer patients and their families," she said.

The Fremont-Rideout expansion will add 16,461 square feet of space for 11 additional transfusion bays, six additional exam rooms, a new reception and waiting area and new, state-of-the-art radiation therapy equipment.

Fremont-Rideout Cancer Center served 800 new patients last year, resulting in 28,500 visits.

About the Fremont-Rideout Health Group

The Fremont-Rideout Health Group is a community-focused medical care system that includes two acute care, not-for-profit hospitals, Rideout Memorial Hospital, and Fremont Medical Center; the Heart Center at Rideout; the Cancer Center, affiliated with UC Davis; Feather River Surgical Center; the Fremont-Rideout Urgent Care Center; the Fremont-Rideout Specialty Care Center; and a complementary array of ancillary services, including senior living, nursing and Alzheimer's care, home health, hospice and durable medical equipment, located throughout Marysville and Yuba City, and in Penn Valley. Fremont-Rideout's health system has more than 1,800 employees and more than 260 physicians on its medical staff.

UC Davis Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute- designated center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of more than 6 million people. Its top specialists provide compassionate, comprehensive care for more than 9,000 adults and children every year, and offer patients access to more than 150 clinical trials at any given time. Its innovative research program includes more than 280 scientists at UC Davis and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The unique partnership, the first between a major cancer center and national laboratory, has resulted in the discovery of new tools to diagnose and treat cancer. Through the Cancer Care Network, UC Davis is collaborating with a number of hospitals and clinical centers throughout the Central Valley and Northern California regions to offer the latest cancer-care services. For more information, visit cancer.ucdavis.edu.