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People diagnosed with cancer in Southern Oregon and Northern California now can get all their treatment in one building, from radiation and chemotherapy to massages that help ease their pain and stress.

The Mary and Dick Heimann Cancer Center on Barnett Road in Medford opened in January near the Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center campus. Asante hosted a ribbon-cutting event this week with hundreds of guests from the community who got to tour the new building.

“If the patient knows where one parking lot is and one door, that’s good, so patients aren’t going all over town when they’re not feeling well,” said Gregg Gallant, a radiation oncology physicist who’s part of the team that crafts and carries out radiation treatment plans tailored to each patient.

He showed visitors a radiation machine that delivers thousands of tiny radiation beams to tumors, knocking out cancerous cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. The machine is so advanced it can correct for tumors that move because of body processes such as breathing.

Before the treatment team ever slides patients into the radiation machine’s open tunnel, they do three-dimensional CT scans at the cancer center to precisely detect the location of tumors plus body parts they want to safeguard.

Once they’ve pinpointed the location for radiation, Gallant does a pre-treatment check by putting a cylindrical device into the radiation machine. It’s a bit like putting a sensor-laden crash-test dummy into a car. Gallant shoots precise radiation beams at the cylinder, which has 1,400 detectors to measure exactly where the radiation is hitting.

The team does adjustments if necessary to perfect the treatment plan. Once everything is approved, a patient can go into the radiation machine’s tunnel, knowing the team did everything possible to target cancerous cells with pinpoint accuracy.

For patients who need chemotherapy for cancer, the center has comfortable armchairs where they can relax while getting infusions. Patients look out through a giant bank of floor-to-ceiling windows with a panoramic view of the Rogue Valley that includes Roxy Ann Peak and Mount Ashland.

Dr. Mujahid Rizvi said before the cancer center opened, patients had to navigate multiple appointments in different locations, often on different days. That was especially hard for people coming from outside the Rogue Valley.

Asante serves nine counties with 600,000 people in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

“If you are local and have to have an extra visit, that’s still doable. When you’re coming from out of town, getting as many appointments on the same day as possible is huge. Cancer care has become more complicated and multidisciplinary,” said Rizvi, the medical director of the new cancer center in Medford and Asante’s Helen K. Spears Cancer Center in Grants Pass.

Rizvi said cancer affects people both physically and mentally.

“Hearing that diagnosis has its own psychological impact. It’s a diagnosis like no other,” he said.

Asante asks patients a series of questions about their symptoms and feelings to get a reading on what the treatment team calls a person’s “distress thermometer.”

“If they hit a certain number, they’re automatically seen by a social worker,” Rizvi said.

The social worker can offer support and connections to services.

To help with the pain and stress of cancer care, the center offers free massages that are paid for through donations.

Patients can get full-body massages from therapists with special training in oncology massage. The therapists also can give hand and foot massages to people who are sitting in armchairs getting chemotherapy infusions.

“It’s a wonderful job, and I love it. You feel honored to help people through this,” said Gail Bailey, an oncology massage therapist who works at the cancer center.

Research shows the benefits of oncology massage can include reduced anxiety and fatigue, improved sleep, better pain management, increased function in areas with scar tissue from surgery and radiation, reduced post-surgical swelling and fewer pins-and-needles sensations from nerves damaged by chemotherapy.

Nutritionists can help patients with healthy eating plans, and the on-site business office assists people in navigating their insurance and getting help with out-of-pocket costs. Patients can pick up medications at the on-site pharmacy, saving them a separate trip to the drug store.

The research department helps patients who are interested in enrolling in regional and national clinical trials for emerging cancer treatments.

Dick Heimann knows first-hand the importance of providing one-stop cancer care.

He’s a long-term cancer survivor who is currently battling a return of the disease. The cancer center is named after him and his wife, Mary.

Dick Heimann has had the support of his family during his fight with cancer, but over the years he’s seen people having to navigate the disease alone.

“It’s shocking how many people don’t have the family support that’s necessary. It’s really heartbreaking,” he said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new cancer center.

The couple’s compassion for cancer patients and their gratitude toward Dick Heimann’s treatment providers prompted them to donate $5 million to Asante Foundation, a charitable organization that supports health care.

Their donation helped pay for the $64 million Mary and Dick Heimann Cancer Center, plus other initiatives such as an expansion of Asante’s cancer center in Grants Pass and a building under construction on the Rogue Regional Medical Center campus in Medford that will include a cancer treatment center just for kids.

Nearly 900 people and businesses have donated more than $8.77 million toward a $10 million community fundraising goal to help cover construction costs of the new cancer center, according to Asante Foundation.

Mary and Dick Heimann said they each came from families of humble origins and learned from their parents the importance of helping others in any way they can.

They gained wealth after partnering with the DeBoer family to build Lithia Motors from an upstart Rogue Valley company with 35 employees into one of the nation’s largest car dealership businesses.

Although the couple made the largest donation, they were quick to point out the generosity of others.

Dick Heimann said his longtime friends, retired Eagle Point High School teacher Mel Morris and wife, Diane, donated money they had saved for a 50th wedding anniversary cruise. The couple also attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the new cancer center.

“They knew what a blessing it would be for patients to have all their care in one place,” Dick Heimann said of the couple.

Mel Morris said he and his wife could have enjoyed themselves for one or two weeks on a cruise, or they could spend the rest of their lives knowing they had helped provide excellent cancer care to the community.

Diane Morris said her husband has survived multiple bouts with cancer and is currently being treated for leukemia.

“As we say, we’re frequent flyers here,” she said.

Donations have come in all sizes, said Andrea Reeder, vice president and executive director of Asante Foundation.

One of the most memorable gifts was a hand-addressed envelope that arrived with two carefully folded $1 bills inside, she said.

“It really takes an entire community to make these things happen,” Reeder said.

Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or valdous@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous.