Huntsman Cancer Institute has broken ground on its second Comprehensive Cancer Center in Vineyard in Utah County. Depicted here in an architectural rendering, the 272,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2028. Photo courtesy of Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Huntsman Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, has broken ground on its second campus in Utah County’s Vineyard.
The institute said the new hospital and clinic will reduce travel time for thousands of patients to receive “treatment, hope and healing.”
Huntsman Cancer Institute provides specialized cancer care for patients from Utah, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The new facility will expand capacity for research, care, education and training that are needed as the state of Utah and the surrounding region experience significant population growth, Huntsman said in a release.
“Twenty-five years ago, on what was once an empty hillside, Jon M. and Karen Huntsman had a vision to build a Comprehensive Cancer Center with unparalleled care and state-of-the-art science. Today, we are proud to be embarking on the next phase of that journey,” said Mary Beckerle, CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute. “At our new location in Vineyard, we will bring comprehensive cancer care closer to the communities we serve, will advance innovative cancer research, will train the next generation of scientists and health workers, and will support our communities to live the healthiest lives possible — all the while working to eradicate cancer from the face of the Earth.”
More than 450 people attended the groundbreaking celebration, including Utah County patients, donors, state and local representatives, members of the community, students and Huntsman Cancer Institute clinicians, scientists, and staff. The event was held adjacent to the property where the center will be built. Site work began in November to prepare the land for utilities, roads and other necessary infrastructure. The groundbreaking ceremony marked the next step in advancing vertical construction on the site.
Huntsman Cancer Institute said it chose Vineyard for the new center to ease the travel burden for patients in central and southern portions of the state. Last year, the Salt Lake City facility saw more than 40,000 visits by patients from Utah County and adjacent areas. The new hospital will serve these patients with services that will include multidisciplinary cancer clinics, radiation oncology, comprehensive cancer imaging, endoscopy, infusion and pharmacy, wellness and integrative health, screening and early detection, and an acute care clinic.
“The Vineyard location represents the seamless integration of world-class research and compassionate clinical care,” said Bob Carter, CEO of University of Utah Health and senior vice president for health sciences. “Every breakthrough fuels better treatments, every innovation brings new possibilities, and every patient remains at the heart of our mission — reaffirming our place as a top-tier academic medical center dedicated to saving lives.”
“Research and innovation are the signature strengths of Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the Vineyard location will offer access to clinical trials, computational science and data analytics programs that harness the power of AI in cancer discovery, student training with Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University, and new mechanisms to treat and prevent cancer for people living in communities far from a major medical center,” the Huntsman release said.
“At the University of Utah, the research isn’t just part of our mission — it’s the engine that drives transformative change,” said University of Utah President Taylor Randall. “The new Huntsman Cancer Institute in Vineyard represents a bold step toward realizing a future where cancer will be a thing of the past. By expanding access to cutting-edge cancer care and research, especially for patients in Utah’s rural and frontier communities, we’re delivering on our promise to improve lives across the state and beyond.”
“Utah is leading the way in better health and outcomes, and I have every confidence the insights gained right here in Utah, at Huntsman Cancer Institute, will impact cancer care worldwide,” said Gov. Spencer Cox at the groundbreaking event. “This new investment by Huntsman Cancer Institute in Vineyard is responsive to both the needs of our growing communities and will enhance lifesaving insights and innovations that will transform health here at home and around the world.”
The total cost of the Huntsman Vineyard project and site development is estimated at $400 million, the largest single investment in the history of Huntsman Cancer Institute. The project was made possible by a June 2023 matching gift of $75 million from the Huntsman Family Foundation. It was augmented by gifts and contributions from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the state of Utah, Flagship Cos. and Woodbury Corp. As of the groundbreaking, 75 percent of the funding for the new facility has been secured.
“My parents invested in improving cancer outcomes by funding the Huntsman Cancer Institute 30 years ago,” said Peter Huntsman, chairman and CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. “Huntsman Cancer Institute’s vision in the new fields of research, such as DNA and immunotherapies, will help change cancer outcomes for a generation. Today, we make the investment that will shape the next generation of care and research and hopefully bring an end to cancer.”
The Vineyard facility is scheduled to open to patients in fall 2028. Layton Construction will be the general contractor on the facility, which was designed by Architectural Nexus, along with campus design and landscape architecture partner Sasaki.