Ivinson Cancer Center Begins Expansion, Door 3 Closed for Patients

Door 3 at the Meredith and Jeannie Ray Cancer Center is now closed to cancer patients while construction moves ahead at Ivinson Memorial Hospital, a change that could affect how Albany County families reach treatment during already stressful visits.

The hospital said the cancer center expansion had entered its first phase of construction. The work is designed to add space for a growing patient load while preserving the private, healing setting that cancer patients need. Door 3 remains open for physical therapy services, but cancer patients are being directed elsewhere as crews work inside the center.

That matters well beyond the construction zone. Ivinson has long framed the cancer center as a way to keep more treatment close to home in Laramie, rather than sending patients to larger centers in Fort Collins, Cheyenne or even farther away. The hospital’s cancer-center materials say that decades ago a cancer diagnosis often meant an inpatient stay or travel to major centers far from home, but now most cancer care can be delivered locally.

The center already provides chemotherapy, hematology and radiation oncology services, and the expansion is tied to continued growth in those programs. Ivinson said its radiation oncology team was adding a Varian TrueBeam Linear Accelerator, a major piece of equipment used for external radiation treatments. For patients, that means the project is not just about more square footage. It is about whether more of the cancer care that once required long trips can stay in Laramie.

The IMH Foundation has described the renovation as a transformative donor-supported project meant to expand current space while keeping the environment calm and private for patients battling cancer. The foundation, formed in August 1982 by seven community members, has spent more than four decades raising money for care improvements in Albany County and for people who travel to Ivinson from across Wyoming.

The cancer center sits within a broader pattern of hospital investment. Ivinson’s 2023 community health needs assessment and its 2024-2026 implementation strategy both pointed to earlier expansions, including the Meredith and Jeannie Ray Cancer Center, an outpatient medical office building and operating-room updates. The foundation’s current priorities also include the Emergency Services Facility Expansion and Renovation and the Infusion Room Project.

Amy Smith, the cancer center director, has said access to life-saving cancer care in Wyoming can be several hours away from home for some patients. That reality is what gives this expansion its weight in Albany County: more space in Laramie could mean less travel, fewer missed workdays and less disruption for families trying to stay close during treatment.