Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says it will build a $1.68 billion freestanding inpatient cancer hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of its collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The facility will be located at 1 Joslin Place, on Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s campus. The hospitals hope to install two MR and two CT scanners inside it and say it will add 270 beds to Dana-Farber’s capacity, bringing its inpatient total to 300, according to The Boston Globe.

Chief Executives Dr. Laurie Glimcher, of Dana-Farber, and Dr. Kevin Tabb, of Beth Israel Deaconess, told the Globe in an editorial board meeting on October 10 about their plans. Glimcher said she and others at Dana-Farber had been discussing an adult cancer hospital for years and initially tried to create it with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which it has been aligned with since 1997.

“Building a cancer-only hospital was our priority. However after many discussions over the course of many years, it became increasingly, increasingly clear that our visions for the future of cancer care did not align with the Brigham,” she told the Globe.

Dana-Farber announced, out of the blue, in September that it was partnering with Beth Israel Deaconess, a move that reportedly “blindsided” Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which found out that it was ending their affiliation when the announcement was made. Their current agreement will expire in 2028.

Dana-Farber and Brigham had been in talks over the past 15 months to extend their relationship and jointly invest in new cancer facilities, but sources of tension, namely Glimcher’s desire for an adult cancer hospital and Brigham advocating for oncology services to be integrated into a general hospital, drove Dana-Farber to seek out a new partner. Glimcher also was reportedly suspicious of consolidation of clinical departments for Brigham and Massachusetts General Hospital by their co-founded organization, Mass General Brigham.

"We have deep respect and profound appreciation for our Brigham and Women's Hospital colleagues, and we are confident that we will continue to work together to provide an exceptional patient experience. This will continue for many years while we work on this transition,” said Dana-Farber in a statement at the time.

As part of the agreement with Beth Israel Deaconess, 30 licensed beds will be moved to the facility from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which has housed Dana-Farber’s inpatient programs since the mid-1990s.

They also will build a tunnel and bridge under and over Brookline Avenue to connect the new building to Dana-Farber.

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