Newswise — Fort Worth, TX – July 24, 2013 UT Southwestern Medical Center and Fort Worth’s Moncrief Cancer Foundation have each pledged $5 million to bring comprehensive cancer services to Fort Worth and surrounding communities through the UT Southwestern / Moncrief Cancer Institute.
“The Fort Worth community will benefit from a cancer center that delivers comprehensive services, including infusion therapy and cancer imaging in addition to Moncrief Cancer Institute’s current programs of cancer prevention, cancer survivorship and population research,” said Dr. Keith Argenbright, Director of Moncrief Cancer Institute.
“With this $10 million investment in fighting cancer, UT Southwestern will be able to provide clinical expertise including chemotherapy and other cutting-edge cancer therapies as well as National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical research trials at Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth,” said Dr. James K.V. Willson, Jr., Director of UT Southwestern’s Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center. The Simmons Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated cancer center in North Texas and it is located in Dallas.
According to Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, President of UT Southwestern, additional cancer research is also planned for the Moncrief Cancer Institute. “In providing opportunities for clinical, population and translational research at Moncrief Cancer Institute and state-of-the-art cancer care, we hope to directly benefit the citizens of Fort Worth and its surrounding communities. We look forward to developing these programs in continued partnership with Fort Worth providers, including the JPS Health Network.”
Moncrief Cancer Institute was started by W. A. Moncrief in 1966 when his son W. A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr. lost his 8-year-old daughter to leukemia. Moncrief Cancer Institute is funded now in large part by the philanthropy of W. A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr. and his family, who believe expanding the Institute’s mission to include patient treatment, clinical trials and a variety of cancer-related research will benefit generations of Fort Worth-area citizens.
“My family has been touched by cancer and we therefore take the fight against cancer very personally and very seriously,” said Tex Moncrief. “We want to defeat this horrible disease while in the meantime ensuring our community has every resource necessary to offer the best cancer care and treatment for our fellow citizens. With this expansion of services and our continued affiliation with UT Southwestern, we are confident both goals will be achieved.”
In November 2012, the Moncrief Cancer Institute moved into a new state-of-the art headquarters on Magnolia Avenue, in the hospital district area of near-south Fort Worth. Cancer treatment, clinical trials and expanded research will be provided and undertaken at the Magnolia Avenue location. The expanded services are scheduled to begin in Spring 2015.
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