SALISBURY, N.C., - Novant Health Rowan Medical Center Foundation revealed the name of its new cancer center and recognized local residents Lee and Mona Lisa Wallace for their lead gift to its capital campaign during a special event Wednesday evening. The Wallace Cancer Center, expected to open the summer of 2020, will consolidate cancer services and programs into one location, creating a single destination for patients.
“Our family felt it was important to support a local cancer center for Rowan County,” said Mona Lisa. “Being diagnosed with cancer is frightening and challenging, not only for the patient, but also for family and friends.”
The substantial donation, which the couple prefers to keep private, brings the total amount raised through the Hope. Healing. Healthcare. capital campaign to $7.425 million, within reach of the $12 million capital campaign goal. Novant Health is investing an additional $12 million to build the new facility.
“This remarkably generous gift from Lee and Mona Lisa Wallace will help strengthen our community and transform cancer care for thousands of patients in a single destination right here at home,” said Rowan Medical Center President Dari Caldwell. In 2017, the hospital treated 2,032 cancer patients.
Born and raised in Rowan County, Lee and Mona Lisa married in 1976 and made Salisbury their home. Mona Lisa founded Wallace and Graham law firm where she is a practicing attorney, and Lee is a commercial developer with Wallace Realty Company.
“Over the years, Bill Graham and I, as well as others at Wallace and Graham, have represented hundreds of Rowan County citizens suffering from various cancers who have more often than not, had to travel to medical facilities outside Rowan County for their care,” said Mona Lisa. “Even if they have received treatment locally, they have been shuffled from place to place for different assistance.”
The 30,000-square-foot Wallace Cancer Center will solve this issue by offering various cancer services under one roof. The new facility, to be built on Mocksville Avenue across the street from the existing Smith Heart and Vascular Center, will provide a wide range of diagnostic and treatment services, including medical oncology, radiation oncology, infusion, PET imaging and integrative medicine. Other services include genetic counseling, access to clinical trials and research, palliative care and nurse navigation. Special amenities and support services include a resource library, areas where patients can meet for support groups and workshops, a wellness garden, a Look Good, Feel Good Boutique and a gift shop that will be run by the Rowan Medical Center Auxiliary. The facility will also have space for physicians to meet in collaborative teams to discuss leading edge treatments for cancer patients, such as Tumor Board and interdisciplinary Breast Cancer Conference.
“Rowan County is fortunate to have such a fine hospital and excellent physicians willing to invest and to support an innovative and centralized cancer center,” said Lee. “We encourage others to invest in this worthy cause as well.”
For more information or to make a donation, visit SupportNovantHealth.org/Rowan or contact Rick Parker, executive director of Novant Health Rowan Medical Center Foundation, at 704-210-6880.
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