CGH unveils updated oncology department at Main Clinic in Sterling

STERLING – CGH Medical Center on Thursday unveiled its new, expanded oncology department, on the third floor of the Main Clinic.

About 60 staff and community members attended the ribbon cutting portion of the open house. Others took part in self-guided tours before and after the ceremony.

The 7,680-square-foot department at the clinic at 101 E. Miller Road now has nine exam rooms, 13 chemotherapy infusion bays, two drawing rooms and two treatment rooms.

It’s double the previous space, which will allow many patients to get their treatment all in one spot. For instance, while chemo infusions were done at the hospital next door, some patients had to travel out of town for other procedures.

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CGH Medical Center employees take self-guided tours on Thursday of the new oncology unit that has been added to the third floor of the Main Clinic in Sterling. (Troy Taylor)

“The goal is to help people stay in town for their treatment, because that’s like a daily thing sometimes,” CGH spokeswoman Dana McCoy said.

The upgrade has been needed for a while, especially since a new oncologist was hired last year, she said.

The department has two oncologists — Mir Alikhan and Alhareth Alsayed — and a nurse practioner — Lindsay Rodriguez.

“We just didn’t have enough space,” McCoy said. “We’ve gotten a lot busier.”

In fact, the department handled abut 20,000 office visits last year.

The project was approved and budgeted for $1.8 million, but the construction was done using the in-house construction team, which saved money.

Some of the bills still are pending, so a final number is not available, but the expansion is coming in “significantly under budget,” McCoy said.

It also did not displace any other departments – the new area was created from third-floor storage space, she said.

Radiation treatments still will be done at the nearby Northern Illinois Cancer Treatment Center, 327 state Route 2 in Dixon, a joint venture of CGH and KSB Hospital in Dixon.