The Huntsman Cancer Institute is expanding from Salt Lake City into Utah County, with plans to bring a new, comprehensive facility to care for cancer patients and study the disease closer to where Utah’s growing population lives.
The Vineyard facility will become the institute’s second outside of its flagship campus at the University of Utah. Plans call for it to be built on a donated $20 million, 20-acre parcel situated between Interstate 15 and Utah Lake — a 10-minute drive from Provo Municipal Airport and next to a FrontRunner station.
The location will reduce travel time for many patients, especially those who live in southern Utah, once it opens in 2029, according to a news release.
(University of Utah — Huntsman Cancer Institute) A map showing the location of the new Huntsman Cancer Institute in Vineyard.
“Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah is known for exemplary cancer care, cutting-edge research, and top-notch training throughout Utah and the surrounding region,” the news release states. “An obstacle for patients and their loved ones is often distance from Salt Lake City.”
After the facility was announced in June 2023, crews began readying the site with utilities and roads in December. Work on the campus structures should begin in the coming months, according to the news release. A groundbreaking ceremony will take place in April 2025.
In a statement, Vineyard city officials called the cancer institute’s expansion “a transformative milestone for our city and Utah Valley.”
“This facility will not only deliver life-saving treatments and cutting-edge research but also strengthen our community as a hub for health, economic growth and global opportunities,” the statement continued.
Health care providers and institutions have been expanding more into Utah County in the last year. This new cancer facility will join Intermountain Health’s new children’s hospital, which starting seeing patients in nearby Lehi in February.
Brigham Young University, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is also planning to open a medical school at its Provo campus, President C. Shane Reese reaffirmed in September. Reese said that “significant energy” had been spent on developing plans to open the school, including creating a medical advisory team.
“Jesus Christ healed the sick and served those in need,” Reese said in a statement. “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we believe BYU’s medical school is another way to lift God’s children.”
In Utah, cancer is the second-leading cause of death, according to the cancer institution website.
In addition to treating patients, the Vineyard facility will take on new research, including on the impacts of cancer treatment and screening for those who live “far from a major medical center.”
Another boon? The new facility will be stationed near both BYU and Utah Valley University, which is also priming students for jobs at the cancer institute, the website said. The center will offer students from both schools necessary hands-on training opportunities.
In March, a news release announced that lawmakers had allocated $75 million to building the facility, matching a $75 million promise from the Huntsman Foundation.
“We will look back on this project over future generations,” said Huntsman Cancer Foundation chair and CEO Peter Huntsman, “and thank you for lives that have been lengthened, the lives that have been saved, and the opportunity that this has given the state of Utah.“
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Friday May 12, 2017.
