The West Virginia University (WVU) Cancer Institute has announced a $50 million gift from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust in support of a new cancer hospital.

The hospital will be part of the WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital complex and include inpatient surgical suites, procedural rooms, inpatient rooms for those requiring overnight or extended stays, outpatient clinics, dining services (including a cafeteria), an outpatient pharmacy, and a flower and gift shop. The WVU Cancer Institute offers advanced cancer surgical procedures, treatments, therapies, and clinical trials on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. The new hospital will provide the space and structure to enhance the institute’s existing research programs and allow for growth in research.

In 1983, Hazel Ruby McQuain, a business and community leader and philanthropist, donated $8.5 million that made construction of J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital possible. She died in 2002.

“I cannot thank the trustees of the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust enough for this magnificent gift—it is a true game-changer,” said WVU president and chair of the health system board of directors Gordon Gee. “A gift of this magnitude will be a multiplier that will lead not only to a new, state-of-the-art cancer hospital on our health sciences campus but also attract new researchers and care providers who will want to come to West Virginia to help address one of our most pressing health issues.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Ridofranz)