SSM Health plans to expand Division Street facility

Project will increase facility size, add services to area’s only comprehensive cancer care center

Planning is underway to expand SSM Health’s 480 E. Division Street location in Fond du Lac. The expanded facility, which currently houses SSM Health Cancer Care services, will feature another 12,000 square feet, additional parking, and welcome infusion and anticoagulation services.

“This exciting development comes as we continue to see significant growth in the need for our cancer care services,” says Shane Smith, SSM Health Fond du Lac Market president. “By providing expanding services in an updated facility we will continue to provide exceptional cancer care and other vital services to our patients when and where they need them.”

To make sure the newly expanded facility meets the needs of patients now and into the future, SSM Health is seeking input from physicians, caregivers, patients, and family members. This important step will help inform the facility’s design and construction.

SSM Health Cancer Care – the only accredited cancer center in the market – has seen tremendous changes and growth in its 30 years in this existing facility, serving patients from more than 29 counties in Wisconsin. In that time, SSM Health Care has experienced a significant increase in patients, overall services, and technology.

SSM Health Cancer Care’s radiation and medical oncologists recognize the importance of locally delivered cancer care by friends and neighbors during the difficult cancer journey, according to Michael Jones, MD, a board-certified medical oncologist. 

“Comprehensive cancer treatment at one facility, with both medical and radiation oncology, along with ancillary care services-all within the same footprint, reduces the unnecessary time and travel patients and family spend,” Dr. Jones says. “Our goal: locally delivered patient care will be enhanced by this expansion to the benefit of our community. We are grateful to the vision of SSM to continue our tradition of locally delivered health care.” 

The expansion is necessary to continue providing the best care for our cancer patients, according to Filip Troicki, an SSM Health Cancer Care board-certified radiation oncologist. “While we continue to expand the vital services that we offer for our cancer patients and their families, our physical blueprint has remained the same since the building was built in 1994. We want to be able to offer more services under one roof and the expansion will help us achieve this.   

“Whether it’s chemotherapy and radiation, nutritional services, social work, palliative care, acupuncture, massage and physical therapy, or infusion services, we want to make sure that patients in our community have access to the best health care,” Dr. Troicki adds. “The expansion project will allow us to provide all the necessary services under one roof.”

Over the course of many years, SSM Health has planned for a potential facility expansion at the Division Street location. That planning included past purchase of three homes on Eastgate Place. As part of this project, those now vacant homes will be removed. As part of SSM Health’s commitment to the community, plans are underway to partner with the City of Fond du Lac Police and the City of Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue for their teams to use the vacant homes for training exercises.

Pending city approvals, construction could begin in summer 2025, with an anticipated completion as early as spring 2026. SSM Health will share additional details once they are finalized.

As a partner in care, the Agnesian HealthCare Foundation has been involved in the planning process to foster opportunities for community support. Philanthropy will be an essential component of this project expansion, through the foundation’s continued efforts to enhance local patient care and assist the most vulnerable in our community.