The John T. Vucurevich Regional Cancer Care Institute will roll out its welcome mat on Oct. 27 to show off the 2,000-square-foot expansion at its medical center.

Cancer care patients and the community are invited to a presentation by motivational speaker and breast cancer survivor Christine Clifford Beckwith. Visitors also can view the expanded pharmacy, the center's work stations for nurses, the new education room and the newly reconfigured chemotherapy area, said Paul Clemments, cancer program director.

Although some cancer rates are falling nationally, studies for the Black Hills area have shown steady increases in cancer over the past five years. The larger cancer center design will accommodate more physicians, staff and new patients comfortably, providing services, education and pharmaceuticals all in one place.

"It meets our current needs and our future needs as well," Clemments said of the expansion.

The open house will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, with an hour-long registration and continental breakfast in Rapid City Regional Hospital's West Auditorium. At 9 a.m., local physicians Dr. Eric Eastmo, radiation oncologist, Dr. Richard Tenglin, medical oncologist, and Karen Carpenter, lymphedema specialist, will discuss breast cancer treatment updates.

At 10:20 a.m., Clifford Beckwith will present "Laughter: A Prescription for a Cure."

Clifford Beckwith and her husband, Harry, have five sons - Tim, Brooks, Harry, Will and Cole - and a daughter, Cooper. In 1994, during a routine self-examination, she found a lump in her breast that led to a year of surgery, aggressive chemotherapy, radiation, loss of her hair and a change in priorities.

She wrote a humorous portrayal of her story in "Not Now, I'm having a No Hair Day," a nominee for 1996's best motivational book. Her children's book, "Our Family Has Cancer, Too," won the lauded Benjamin Franklin Award. She founded and currently runs The Cancer Club, the world's largest producer of humorous and helpful products for people with cancer.

"People are the only creatures on earth that can celebrate the joy of being alive," she said.

For eight consecutive years as the retail services industry's top salesperson, Clifford Beckwith directed accounts that included Target, Toys 'R' Us, Wal-Mart, Mattel Toys and Revlon. She led her company to more than $54 million in annual sales, which included signing and industry's record account at the time with Procter & Gamble.

Tours from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cancer Care Institute will include presentations from health-care professionals, who will discuss various topics related to breast cancer.

The center also has received a makeover. Wood-grain laminated flooring has replaced an aqua-blue rug in the hallways. The wood tones add warmth to the new area, tying into the wood tones of the nurses' station and furnishings, yet the cushioned underlay keeps the hallways quiet.

Clemments noted that the new design eliminated traffic congestion at a nurses' station as patients went to treatment and education areas. Its pharmaceutical area has moved to a new location.

New windows have brightened the chemotherapy treatment area; its new design also offers patients more privacy. Lounge chairs, scenic ceiling light panels, individually heated rooms, extra chairs for visitors and new TVs all add to the comfort of patients as they undergo treatment.

Janet Long, a registered nurse, can now see all of her patients at all times through the glass partitions. The expanded area can easily accommodate 50 people. A kitchenette can provide hot microwave snacks, refrigerated juices, drinks, water and ice.

"It's a good thing," Long said of the expansion.

If you go

What: The John T. Vucurevich Regional Cancer Care Institute open house

When: 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. speaker programs, open house 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27

Where: 353 Fairmont Blvd., Rapid City, near the intersection of Fifth Street and Fairmont Boulevard.

Admission: Free

Other: Those interested in attending the morning presentation should RSVP by calling 719-8015. The first 50 people to register will receive a Christine Clifford Beckwith book. The speaker programs will be in the Rapid City Regional Hospital's west auditorium; the tours will take place at John T. Vucurevich Regional Cancer Care Institute.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com