OKC lands private cancer treatment center
By Stefanie Brickman - 12/19/2006


Thanks to a $35 million equity investment from McClendon Venture Company LLC and other individuals, ProCure Treatment Centers Inc. announced today it will locate its first private proton cancer treatment center in Oklahoma City. Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon owns MVC, which made the investment along with associates Shannon T. Self and John B. Frick.


Headquartered in Bloomington, Ind., ProCure is developing centers across the U.S. that provide Federal Drug Administration-approved proton radiotherapy.


ProCure’s New York-based CEO Hadley Ford said although the site selection in Oklahoma City has not been finalized, the planned four-room, 55,000-square-foot center will employ about 100 people. Ford said McClendon has been involved in talks with ProCure for the last few months.


“Since day one, Oklahoma City has said, ‘How can we do this?’ There has been an overwhelming positive attitude,” Ford said. “It sounds silly to say, but (Oklahoma City) has a can-do attitude.”


Members of ProCure’s senior management team have been involved in five other proton therapy centers located at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital, Los Angeles’ Loma Linda Medical Center, Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Jacksonsville’s University of Florida Health Sciences Center and Bloomington, Ind.’s Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute.


Private practices Radiation Medicine Associates and Radiation Oncology Associates are the local clinical partners.


“We provide staffing and training so the doctors can focus on medicine,” Ford said. “Our core strength is being a solution provider.”


Unavailable for comment, McClendon did make an official statement released by ProCure.


“Our investment in ProCure represents an exciting opportunity to build a dynamic company that has the opportunity to transform the way many cancers are treated,” McClendon said. “I am pleased to participate in ProCure’s mission to make proton therapy affordable and accessible to everyone who would benefit. This technology has shown remarkable success in effectively treating many forms of cancer, including brain and spinal tumors, as well as breast and prostate cancer.”

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