Renovated, expanded infusion center provides more capacity and comfort
If you’ve ever tried to find a parking spot during a summer weekend in downtown Monterey, then you know the feeling of a bustling space at full capacity. Until recently, the infusion center at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s cancer center was facing its own version of that squeeze: full schedules, growing waitlists, and a community with an increasing need for advanced cancer care.
So, Montage Health invested in a major expansion and renovation of the infusion center that, among other upgrades, doubled the number of infusion chairs for chemotherapy and non-cancer infusions like iron treatments, intravenous antibiotics, and blood transfusions, allowing more patients to receive care close to home.
What’s new at the infusion center?
The infusion center now features:
These additions mean shorter wait times and more opportunities for patients to begin treatment faster, without having to drive to the Bay Area for care. The design is modern and reflects the dignity and calm that patients deserve during what is often the most frightening chapter of their lives.
Quality cancer care in action
Fred Hooker, a 79‑year‑old Salinas resident, grandfather, longtime agricultural leader, and former California Rodeo president, began treatment at the cancer center after he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. The facility’s improvements have made a difficult journey feel less daunting.
“When you’re here for hours, days, weeks, months, the environment matters,” he says. “The new space is calm, private, and comfortable, and the care team is incredible. They make you feel cared for the moment you walk in.”
Hooker has five consecutive days of treatment each month, along with frequent blood transfusions that can last up to 5 hours. He says that having care close to home, in a space thoughtfully designed for healing, reduces the stress and physical toll of an already demanding experience.
A community effort
The upgrade, like most of Montage Health’s many investments in new treatments, technologies, and facilities, was made possible by support from generous Monterey County community members.
A strong future for local cancer care
For patients like Hooker, the impact of this investment isn’t measured in square feet or new equipment, but in time. Time with his children and grandchildren. Time to keep showing up, keep fighting, and keep living life beyond a diagnosis.
Watch the story on KSBW.
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