Green Cancer Institute to Open in Sioux Falls

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Avera Cancer Institute opening this fall will host services that administrators say will help people transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor.

 

The $93 million, five-story facility is the most expensive project in Sioux Falls history, according to reports. The facility is twice the cost of anything Avera has previously built. The center’s construction includes a tranquil roof-top garden, 2000 gallon waterfall and wavy grass which transitions with the area’s natural landscape. The cancer center’s design and features are meant to aid the patients in the healing process.

 

An opening ceremony at the center included an appearance from bicycling legend Lance Armstrong, who is himself a survivor of testicular cancer. Like many cancers, testicular cancer shows symptoms that may show signs towards the growth of cells, like a painless swelling or lump in one of the testicles. If you believe you have testicular cancer, it’s best to get in contact with a urologist, like the ones at Advanced Urology for a check up. Remember, these symptoms don’t mean testicular cancer, but it’s best to check anyway for your own assurance.

 

Dick Molseed, Avera’s senior vice president of environmental services, stated recently that when developing the new center, hospital administrators sought input from patients who described how there was no place to cry or decompress, adding that the center’s natural environment has many areas that will offer both solitude and a place to escape.

 

This is the first health building in South Dakota registered as seeking LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and will include energy and water conservation, a passive solar design, indoor air quality and careful selection of building materials that do not contain toxins known to cause cancer and other illnesses.