Pella Regional Health Center and Knoxville Hospital & Clinics have reached their $14.3 million fundraising goal, completing the Bridging the Gap Capital Campaign that will fund a new radiation therapy center for cancer patients across central and southern Iowa. The campaign, launched in August 2025, wraps up with full funding secured for construction and equipment at the planned Pella Knoxville Cancer Center.
The hospitals announced the campaign's completion in a release reported by KNIA-KRLS, which described the effort as having reached its $14.3 million goal after little more than a year of fundraising. The new facility will give patients access to radiation treatment without the long drives that have long defined cancer care in rural Iowa. Pella Regional Health Center CEO Bob Kroese said the campaign showed how the region can unite to bring enhanced cancer care closer to home, adding that every gift, regardless of size, helped the campaign reach its milestone.
A 7,800-Square-Foot Facility With Advanced Equipment
The Pella Knoxville Cancer Center is planned as a 7,800-square-foot radiation center, according to the same report. It will house a linear accelerator for precise radiation treatments along with a PET/CT scanner used for cancer diagnosis, disease staging and treatment planning. The center is expected to open in early 2027.
The project traces back to an earlier announcement from Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, which described the initiative as a multi-year joint venture to develop a radiation therapy cancer program in Marion County. That announcement also noted the State of Iowa's approval of the hospitals' Certificate of Need to construct a radiation treatment facility and program, according to Knoxville Hospital & Clinics. That same release put the project's budget at $14 million, while a later campaign-launch announcement from Pella Regional Health Center's foundation projected the cost of what it called the South Central Iowa Radiation Center at $14.3 million — the figure ultimately matched by the completed campaign.
Community Donors Large and Small
Fundraising for the campaign was led by the hospital foundations of both Pella Regional Health Center and Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, with a campaign committee that included Barb Braafhart, Charlie Daugherty, Corwin Fee, Mary Glendening, Michelle Greene, Mary Hanna, Dave Johnson, Paul Jones, David Kacmarynski, Lezlie Morris, Mike Montgomery, Maureen Nichols, Stan Poortinga, Dave Sutphen, Mark Van Roekel and Charlie Zylstra. Supporters included individuals and families, local businesses, foundations, community organizations and employees of both hospitals, with gifts ranging from individual donations to major leadership contributions.
Among the larger gifts, Pella Corporation contributed $500,000 to the campaign, a contribution recognized in a release from Pella Corporation's newsroom. Precision Pulley & Idler also gave $250,000 to the campaign, according to a Pella Regional Health Center Foundation announcement marking that check presentation.
Closing a Gap for Rural Cancer Patients
Knoxville Hospital & Clinics CEO Kevin Kincaid called the center a major advance for cancer patients and families in central and southern Iowa, saying the project demonstrates what two health systems, communities and philanthropy can achieve together. The partnership marks the first collaboration between two Iowa hospitals to jointly provide radiation therapy services, per the KNIA-KRLS report.
Research on cancer care access in Iowa has found that residents of small and isolated rural towns traveled nearly three times longer than urban residents to receive radiation therapy, according to a study published by the National Institutes of Health. Other rural Iowa hospitals have pursued separate efforts to close that gap: Ottumwa Regional Health Center was selected for funding through Iowa's Combat Cancer Health Hub Program, according to the Ottumwa Courier, and Shenandoah Medical Center was named among hospitals serving as a hub for the same statewide program, as reported by KMAland. A broader statewide strategy aims to expand local cancer care access for rural Iowans, though the American Medical Association has noted some patients may still need to travel to Iowa City for certain treatment even as more care shifts closer to home.
With the Bridging the Gap campaign now complete, hospital officials say donations can continue through either hospital foundation to support cancer care in Pella and Knoxville as the new center moves toward its planned early 2027 opening.
