Many Arizona nursing jobs will be created by a new cancer therapy clinic.

Mayo Clinic is planning to build a new multi-site Proton Beam Therapy Program with locations in Phoenix, Ariz., and Rochester, N.Y. Those facilities will create thousands of new jobs and treat about 2,480 patients each year by the time both sites open in early 2016.

The new facilities are being funded in part by a $100 million gift from Philanthropist Richard O. Jacobson, a long-time patient of the clinic. Both projects will cost more than $400 million to complete and Mayo will ask for help from other philanthropists to cover the cost gap.

"My dream has always been to establish a major new facility for Mayo Clinic," Jacobson said in a statement. "I began going to Mayo for my care when I was a child and continue to get my care there. Mayo Clinic makes a profound impact on people."

Proton beam therapy is considered to be advanced when compared to traditional radiotherapy, because the proton beam only targets the tumor, sparing the surrounding tissue and organs. Mayo's proton beam program will use the most advanced technology available, causing fewer side effects for patients.

"Our goal is to reduce the burden of cancer for patients and family members," Robert Foote, M.D., chair of Mayo Clinic's Department of Radiation Oncology, said. "We want to preserve normal organ function and optimize patients' quality and length of life."

Currently, more than 20,000 patients receive cancer care at Mayo Clinic. The hospital system has three cancer programs in Phoenix, Rochester, and Jacksonville, Fla. All of those locations will benefit from the clinic's proton beam technology.

Labels: Arizona nursing jobs