MyMichigan Medical Center Names Future Cancer Center

MyMichigan Medical Center Midland is naming its future Cancer Center for the late James T. nd Elsa U. Pardee, in recognition of their dedication to cancer research and treatment. The naming is made possible by combined gifts by both the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation and Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.

Groundbreaking for the  James T. and Elsa U. Pardee Cancer Center (Pardee Cancer Center) is scheduled for this spring. The $61.5 million, 115,000 square-foot project is expected to take two years to complete. The Center, to be built adjacent to the Medical Center, will be on the site of the existing Towsley Building. The interior of the building will be rebuilt to meet the needs of the Pardee Cancer Center, which has also received funding from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation, Dow Company Foundation, and Midland Area Community Foundation.

“Supporting the naming of the Cancer Center was deeply important to both of our Foundations. Never have either of our organizations funded a bricks and mortar project so important and consistent with the aims of our Foundations,” said Gail E. Lanphear, president of the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation and board chair of the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.

Lanphear explained the Foundation’s unique collaboration on the donation. “The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation and Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation have had a special connection for many, many years. The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation was established in 1944 under the terms of the will of its namesake, Elsa, whose life was taken by breast cancer at the age of 59. The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation was established by Eda Gerstacker, the wife of Rollin Gerstacker, with the help of a sizeable donation from the estates of Eda’s twin sister, Elsa, and brother-in-law James T. Pardee.”

In the establishment of the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation, Elsa provided a $1 million trust fund (equivalent to $15 million today) ”for the promotion of the control and cure of cancer.“ Since being founded 77 years ago, The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation’s dedicated volunteer foundation trustees comprised of family members, community members, and medical experts, have grown the Pardee Foundation’s financial resources and funded more than $156 million around the world in all areas of important cancer research and documentation. Locally, more than $6.2 million has been dedicated to MyMichigan Health’s cancer program.

“Thousands had been helped by the support of the Pardee Foundation,” said Lanphear, great niece of Elsa Pardee. “In fact, in 1951, a Pardee Treatment Committee was set up at Midland Hospital (now MyMichigan Medical Center Midland) to provide financial assistance to patients facing the difficult financial burden of cancer care through The Pardee Cancer Treatment Fund. Over the decades, six treatment committees were set up to serve Bay, Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland/Gladwin Counties in Michigan, as well as Brazosport County in Texas, and the Foundation spends about 33 percent of its resources on this special community funding. The impact has been incredible.”

She continued, “With Elsa and James’s devotion to cancer research and treatment, along with the support the couple gave to the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, our two Foundations joining together for this cancer center project was truly a perfect fit. To name MyMichigan’s new, state-of-the-art facility after James and Elsa is a beautiful tribute to a couple who was devoted to cancer research and ensuring the immediate financial needs of cancer patients would be met. We believe both James and Elsa would be proud and most pleased with the progress of the fight against cancer.”

“We all know someone who has been touched by cancer and our vision is to ensure the care those impacted receive is as seamless as possible. With the support of our local foundations, the future Pardee Cancer Center will be able to do just that by bringing all the necessary care for patients under one roof,” said Diane Postler-Slattery, Ph.D., FACHE, president and CEO, MyMichigan Health. “The new Center will give us the space for multiple specialists to see the patient on the same day, collaborate and provide the patient a plan of care without multiple appointments at multiple locations.”

Reflective of MyMichigan Health’s Purpose Statement in “Creating Healthy Communities – Together,” Postler-Slattery shared that the Pardee Cancer Center will also be the new home for Cancer Services and The Pardee Cancer Treatment Fund. “Patients will benefit from these organizations housed in the new facility with ease of access to their services. More importantly, as our guests, Cancer Services and The Pardee Cancer Treatment Fund will no longer need to worry about the financial obligation of a building mortgage or rent, allowing them to put these dollars towards much needed services for patients.”

MyMichigan Health offers comprehensive cancer care focused on breast, lung, esophageal, colon, genitourinary and gynecologic cancers. The health system’s program includes access to a team of 23 providers specializing in cancer care, certified oncology nurses, radiation therapists, the latest in diagnostic and treatment technology, clinical trials, and a full range of support services.

The cancer program at MyMichigan is accredited with commendation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, is a recipient of the Accreditation for Program Excellence (APEx) from the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology, and its Breast Health Program at MyMichigan’s Center for Women’s Health is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons and certified by the Quality Breast Center of Excellence by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers.

The MyMichigan Health Foundation will be raising funds to support the building project for the James T. and Elsa U. Pardee Cancer Center. Donations will be accepted online at www.mymichigan.org/cancercenter or by calling (989) 839-1932. Those interested in more information on MyMichigan’s comprehensive cancer program may visit www.mymichigan.org/cancer.