KU Hospital announces major gift for expansion project

Artist's rendering of the planned Cambridge North Tower expansion project at Kansas University Hospital.
Kansas University Hospital on Wednesday announced a $10 million challenge grant for its new expansion project, the Cambridge North Tower.
Philanthropist and Kansas City civic leader Annette Bloch, president of the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, is donating the $10 million to support cancer programs at the tower, specifically construction and technology for interventional labs and operating suites for surgical oncology.
“The growth of surgical cancer services at Cambridge North Tower will provide greater access to medical advancements for which the hospital and cancer center are nationally known,” Bloch said in a news release. “The hospital is a special place, and we are lucky it is here in Kansas City. It takes more than the power of one gift for its programs to continue to grow.”
The hospital announced plans for the tower earlier this year, with a goal of raising $100 million dollars of the $279 million project through philanthropy. The construction schedule will depend on donations.
Hospital president and CEO Bob Page said changing economics of health care mean the hospital must rely more on philanthropy than ever before, according to the news release. He said patient demand for advanced medical care continues to grow, but the hospital needs facilities where those services can continue to flourish.