As a healthcare marketer, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae and forget that we are part of something very special. Today I was reminded of that when I attended the dedication ceremony for the new North Carolina Cancer Hospital.
The new Cancer Hospital is built essentially in the front yard of what used to be known as North Carolina Memorial Hospital, where I worked as a young college student while attending the University of North Carolina. I worked nights as a nursing assistant (thought I would go to med school) on the 6th floor of the bed tower – a cardiology floor. I also did a brief internship working in the nurse recruitment office.
It seemed like I had come full circle when in 1995 I led the marketing team that created the UNC Health Care brand, uniting UNC Hospitals (of which NC Memorial Hospital is a part) and about 49 other distinct brands under a single brand umbrella. The old North Carolina Memorial Hospital is still there, but today the number of people who know it by that name is diminishing. Today, they are UNC Health Care. I went on to serve as a brand manager for UNC Health Care, leading the account team at their ad agency (www.jenningsco.com) for more than 12 years before we finally parted ways. That brand will always be a part of me, and I will always take pride in its accomplishments. Over the last several years I’ve witnessed and played a part in the launch of the NC Neurosciences Hospital, NC Women’s Hospital, NC Children’s Hospital, UNC Wellness Center and the UNC Heart Center at Meadowmont, along with a number of 
community practices. I also led the team that worked on brand strategy when UNC acquired Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, significantly expanding the reach of the healthcare system. And today, I was there for the launch of the North Carolina Cancer Hospital!
The North Carolina Cancer Hospital treats 15,000 cancer patients each year, serving as the clinical home of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center – one of only 40 in the nation. The Cancer Hospital opened with a photography exhibit titled “The New Face of Cancer.” It definitely gave a human face to the new state-or-the-art building. Putting the patient front and center has always been a focus of cancer services at UNC. Back in 2004, we launched NCCancerStories.org, a website where cancer patients could connect with cancer survivors and share their stories. It was social media before social media was in vogue. Although UNC Health Care is no longer our client, the cancer stories approach lives on. You can see the photo exhibition online at www.unclineberger.org. Here’s a video clip from the dedication ceremony:
According to the literature they distributed at the ceremony (all information here is attributed to UNC Health Care), the new hospital has “advanced capabilities for tumor imaging and genetic analysis for diagnosis, as well as the latest 
technology for treatment, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, Cyberknife radiosurgery, and high-dose radiation therapy.” The hospital is also a high tech center for high definition telemedicine. This allows physicians from across the state to “review and consult on patient cases via real-time teleconferences.” The Cancer Hospital also includes a new Clinical Trials Unit. With more than $147 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, UNC researchers work with peers from some of the top research institutions around the world.
Post by Dan Dunlop, The Healthcare Marketer
The Healthcare Marketer 
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