This story will be updated following the dedication.
By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor
St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s new Cancer Center is celebrating its new name today — The Yung Family Cancer Center.
A major gift from the Yung Family Foundation will put the family name on the Cancer Center, advancing its mission to provide enhanced cancer care — early detection, quality treatment, clinical research and trials, and best patient care — close to home.
William J. Yung III is president of Columbia Sussex, a privately owned company based in Crestview Hills that operates multiple hotels — Marriotts, Hyatts, and Hiltons among them — in the nation’s leading destinations. He is also president of the Yung Family Foundation.
Yung provided a $7 million donation to St. Elizabeth in 2021 — then the largest gift in St. Elizabeth history — to name the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute for his mother, honoring her “courage, independence and pioneering spirit” that served as a catalyst in his life.
The ceremony at mid-morning today is not open to the public out of respect to the patients entering and leaving the facility.
St. Elizabeth opened its state-of-the-art 250,000-square-foot Cancer Center in September, 2020. It offers comprehensive cancer detection, diagnosis, and care — all under one roof. With an emphasis on precision medicine and genomic health, screening education and prevention, clinical research and advanced, innovative technology, the center aims to provide a seamless experience for patients undergoing treatment.
“The Yung Family is very interested in improving outcomes,” said Dr. Doug Flora, executive medical director of the Center. “They share our deep values about quality care.
“We are deeply grateful to the Yung Family Foundation for their incredible generosity. As Siddhartha Mukherjee noted in The Emperor of All Maladies, ‘the cancer landscape has been radically reshaped by philanthropic investment.’ Their support will drive the innovation and compassionate care that our region depends on, ensuring access to the most advanced treatments. This partnership truly changes the future of cancer care in our community.”
Dr. Flora says that the center has already been able to attract 40 new cancer care providers — top experts in subspecialties — over the last few years. That improves St. E.’s ability to take care of patients — and to provide personalized cancer medicine.
“We want to continue to perform at the highest level,” he said. “Thanks to this gift, we are closer than ever to achieving that goal. The true impact of these dollars isn’t just in the dollars — it’s in the lives saved, the families supported, and the communities transformed. This gift is the ink that lets us rewrite the future of cancer care, allowing us to make a lasting difference in the lives of our patients.”