The Virginian-Pilot today ran an op-ed piece* on the new proton therapy cancer center being constructed by Hampton University. The author of the piece is Chuck Davis, the widower of 1st Congressional district representative Jo Ann Davis.
When you’ve lost a father, mother and wife to cancer, all between the ages of 57 and 62, you realize that cancer is not just a scourge of the elderly. It takes people in the prime of their lives. It shouldn’t be that way.
Proton therapy, as Mr. Davis points out, “targets the tumor site, leaving surrounding healthy tissue and organs intact.” Hampton University, one of the nation’s oldest HBCUs, received approval to build the $225 million center in November 2005 and broke ground this past July. The facility, the nation’s sixth, will be the only one on the East Coast between Pennsylvania and Florida.
Davis’ op-ed points out the need for funding and urges Virginia and the nation to offer support:
In Illinois, its legislature allocated $10-million for a Proton Therapy center before the state had even granted it a certificate of public need. The federal government has appropriated over $8-million for it. Hampton University’s 100,000 square foot center, rising now off Magruder Boulevard, has a COPN, has support from Sentara Healthcare and other medical organizations and is eagerly awaited by Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters in Norfolk and Eastern Virginia Medical School. Why? Because it will kill tumors in their tracks and offer hope to those citizens who are as fearful of cancer’s traditional treatment methods as they are of the disease itself.
If Virginia would appropriate $10-million over four years, that would represent just 4% of the $225-million budget for Hampton University’s Proton Therapy Institute and the programs it will house, including one proposed specifically for military personnel, veterans, retirees and their families, groups Jo Ann believed deserved our greatest thanks and access to America’s most advanced medical services.
Yes, this is a tight budget cycle. But treating cancer is important. I hope the legislature finds a way to assist with this critical project.
Photo: Chuck Davis with Cynthia Keppel, scientific and technical director of the Hampton University Proton Therapy Insitute, on the site of the facility which is under construction off Magruder Boulevard in Hampton. Click to enlarge.
* – read the article in Internet Explorer. It does not display properly in Firefox, something I wish the Pilot would fix. And while I’m wishing for things, it would be nice if the Pilot posted its op-ed pieces online.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
December 27, 2007
Ms. Vivian Paige,
Thanks so much for publishing the news about Hampton University and its remarkable effort to become a world leader in cancer treatment and research. FYI, there was also an article in the New York Times, on the same day, that also mentioned Hampton University and this remarkable project that will fight cancer at the tune of an investment, by this powerful institution, for almost a quarter of a billion dollars. This has to be by far the largest investment ever in the Commonwealth of Virginia by a black-owned business or a black institution of higher learning.
More importantly, Dr. William Harvey, HU’s president, again has set very high expectations and is providing the kind of quality leadership that only he can provide to make this happen. Notice that President Harvey is not complaining or waiting for someone or the government. Hampton University is doing this mostly alone. As it now appears, without much if any help from the state or federal government, which is clearly very disappointing. This is especially concerning since cancer kills so many Virginians of all races or as Mr. Chuck Davis mentioned, including those in his immediate family.
I have also read that one out of three Virginians will cross paths with this dreadful disease in their lifetime. In our black community horrifying cancers like colon, breast, liver, lung and prostate cancer are killing our people, in some cases more than twice the rate as for those in the white community. I also know that each of you have had a mom, a dad, a sister, a brother, a loved-one or a friend or a neighbor taken away by cancer.
Just like at the end of the Civil War, when the Virginia General Assembly outlawed the education of the newly freed slaves and Native Americans and women, Hampton University opened up its doors to these victims. Cancer is now unnecessarily killing too many of our people and something needs to be done to fight and kill cancer. Hampton University again is in front doing and leading and not talking or just complaining. This effort will save lives.
If we were talking about building another prison in Virginia for millions of dollars, our state government would readily find the money to do it. Government does have a legitimate role to provide for the general welfare of its citizens and ironically Governor Timothy Kaine has made health care a very high priority of his administration. African-American men and women living in Hampton Roads have some of the highest cancer death rates in the nation, along with Richmond. Hopefully, the Governor will actually do the right thing and urge Senator John Warner and Senator Jim Webb to step-up as well. And help they should —- because this project will provide for the health, safety and welfare of all Virginians
Chester Lewis, II – Norfolk, Virginia
It is amazing to see our State amd Federal Government so willing to waste OUR treasure (taxes) on useless pork barrel projects, while letting this worthwhile project go underfunded. Politicians must go brain dead after they are elected to public office. This is the sixth and largest proton beam cancer center in our nation. We are so fortunate that Hampton University had the vision to give us this gift. Let’s see which of our state legislators introduce funding bills this coming session for this project. If terrorist were killing as many folks as cancer, politicians would be throwing trillions towards defending us against them.
This week the New York Times addressed the miracle of proton therapy in savings lives. The national story also quoted Dr. William Harvey, president of Hampton University, who should develop the sixth such facility in America. This is great for Virginia, but especially for the many of our brothers and sisters who are dying from this horrible disease at extraordinarily high rates today.
Ironically, Hampton University is spending more of its own money to develop this cancer treatment and research center than Norfolk is spending on its light rail system. It is sad that the majority press is completely ignoring this story. If something bad happened at Hampton University it would be on the front page and on TV for a month.
The article mentioning Hampton University can be found on the New Times web site:
Chester Lewis, II