By Dan Hounsell

Healthcare facilities are among the most complex construction projects to undertake, given the advanced technologies the facility will house, the interior’s infection control requirements and the unique demands of facility managers and occupants. Consider the case of the Northeast Texas Cancer and Research Institute, a new cancer center that recently opened in Tyler. The 85,000-square-foot facility center is located on the CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler campus and will provide outpatient care, according to Healthcare Construction+Operation. 

The institute will consist of specialized areas for Tyler’s largest oncology provider, including 30,000 square feet of clinic space for medical oncology, radiation oncology, and gynecologic oncology services, and nearly 3,000 square feet dedicated to research. These areas also will contain three linear accelerators for radiation therapy, 52 chemotherapy infusion stations, and four private rooms.

McCarthy Building Companies will perform earthwork and concrete for the institute, including concrete for the three linear accelerator vaults. These high-density concrete vaults, used for external beam radiation treatments that deliver high-energy beams of accelerated electrons to target tumors, feature 8-foot-thick walls and a 6-foot-thick lid. The vault walls will be poured monolithically in a continuous pour to avoid using any joints that radiation could leak through.