Constructed in 1996, the Chemotherapy Infusion Center (CIC) space at St. Luke’s Cancer Institute in Boise is no longer efficient for patient care. In 2023, there were over 16,000 visits to the CIC's 24 patient treatment areas. St. Luke’s expanded operations in 2020 to conduct treatment sessions in a 12-hour workday instead of an 8-hour workday, but we have continued to see increases in patient volume. Chemotherapy has become more and more complicated over the years, mixing several drugs into one therapy session. Sometimes sessions last 5-6 hours! 

St. Luke’s is concerned our current CIC space cannot accommodate additional physicians to accommodate the number of patients needing care. Space limitations also hinder our ability to effectively offer integrative medicine services, such as acupuncture, to help with side effects while patients are undergoing their chemotherapy. This unique and valuable program means more activity and bodies in an already busy space.  

The Anderson Center offers something that our CIC doesn’t have: space and a view. We are hoping to move the CIC up to the Anderson Center, which is on the fifth floor of St. Luke’s Cancer Institute building, adding 3,000 square feet of space for the CIC. This move would also mean our patients have access to more private rooms. Currently, there are 24 chairs for patients needing infusion, with three isolation rooms. Moving into the new space would allow for 39 infusion chairs and three private rooms with bathrooms. The CIC would have 10,000 square feet of total space to better care for patients—now and into the future.