May 9, 2025 A New Era for Cancer Care

For many people in New Jersey, cancer is distressingly familiar. “Over 50,000 of our residents are diagnosed with cancer each year, and New Jersey ranks sixth in cancer incidence in the U.S.,” says Steven Libutti, MD, FACS, the William N. Hait Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute and Senior Vice President of Oncology Services at RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH). “Cancer is a big problem in our state.”

Now RWJBH, together with Rutgers Cancer Institute—the state’s only NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center—is on the cusp of opening New Jersey’s first freestanding cancer hospital. Called the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, the new facility in New Brunswick is a landmark development for cancer care throughout the region.

The state-of-the-art 12-story, 520,000-square-foot center, named for philanthropist Jack Morris and his wife, Sheryl, is slated to open this spring. It will provide cutting-edge, comprehensive cancer diagnosis, research, treatment and support services all under one roof and promises to reshape the patient experience for countless families touched by potentially life-threatening illness.

“Opening the Morris Cancer Center is going to be transformational,” Dr. Libutti says. “Only a handful of similar facilities exist nationwide.”

Putting Patients First

Key to the vision for the center is its concentration of services in a single building. “We’re providing a place and environment where experts together are focusing entirely on cancer and the patient experience,” Dr. Libutti says.

Each stage of the patient’s cancer journey, whether inpatient or outpatient, will be addressed on-site, from early diagnosis through treatment and survivorship. Services available within a few elevator stops will include imaging, surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, chemotherapy, clinical trials and highly specialized advanced treatments such as cellular therapies, along with layers of support services.

Having all services together makes care convenient for patients, minimizes travel and eases navigation through often complex treatments. “Making care more efficient is better for the patient experience and promises to improve outcomes,” Dr. Libutti says.

Dozens of nurse navigators will guide patients through their journeys, offering a main point of contact and a knowledgeable bridge to diverse providers. Concentrating services will also promote collaboration by multidisciplinary teams that include not only clinicians but also researchers conducting groundbreaking clinical trials and research in state-ofthe-art laboratories.

“Hallway conversations can help lead to new therapies,” Dr. Libutti says. “We’ll have easy sharing of information and ideas about ways to attack cancer’s vulnerabilities.” The fusion of topnotch facilities, advanced expertise and innovative treatment further promises to attract even more world-class physicians.

Patient-first priorities steered the center’s conception, design and construction. “There was a lot of conversation about what the cancer journey looks like for patients and how to coordinate touchpoints along the way,” Dr. Libutti says.

That meant more than having an advanced physical facility. “We also wanted the best workflows and practices to make the patient experience as efficient as possible,” says Susan Solometo, Senior Vice President of Administration, Oncology Services, at RWJBH. “We’re striving to optimize everything around the patient.”

Form and Function

The blending of sophisticated design and efficient function will be evident upon stepping through the center’s doors. “The building itself promotes processes we want to implement to make things easier for patients,” Dr. Libutti says.

For example, patients using the MyChart electronic medical records portal can complete much of their registration before coming to an appointment. “When patients arrive, this will allow check-in and printing of a pass at a kiosk similar to those at airports,” Solometo says. “Patients who return frequently for treatments won’t have to go through an elaborate check-in and registration process every time.”

An advisory council of patients and families contributed insights on matters from the organization of the building and floors to workflows, amenities and even furniture and finishings.

In addition to new infrastructure such as nine operating rooms and an additional 10 research laboratories, the center will include a demonstration kitchen, a physical therapy gym and adjacent parking. Space is allocated for integrative medicine services such as Reiki and art, music and pet therapies. A boutique area will include services for styling wigs or hair, buying lymphedema garments and getting a manicure and pedicure.

The building’s soaring atrium will include design elements such as a staircase styled like a cancer ribbon and art/media installations. “There will be a calming aspect to entering the building,” Solometo says. “Our hope is that patients may, even for a moment, forget why they’re there.”

A Statewide Vision

The new Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center anchors a broader strategic vision for cancer care throughout New Jersey. “Cancer doesn’t travel well,” says Dr. Libutti. “Patients do better when they have services and support close to home. Our goal is that no person in New Jersey will be more than 15 minutes from an access point for our exceptional, comprehensive cancer care.”

Contributing to that goal will be the new Melchiorre Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, due for completion in late 2025, and the Specialty and Cancer Care Center at the Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls, due to open in late 2026.

“Our investment in campuses that are strategically positioned throughout the RWJBH system is unprecedented and unparalleled,” Dr. Libutti says. “We’re committed to addressing cancer across the spectrum and easing the burdens for patients.”

Learn more about Cancer Care at RWJBarnabas Health or visit the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center.