The ProCure Training and Development Center (TDC), located in Bloomington, Ind., is the first and only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to proton therapy training and development.  It offers clinical, technical, interpersonal and administrative training that covers all aspects of proton therapy treatment and patient care.

In addition to lecture rooms for instruction and training, the TDC features full-size treatment rooms equipped with state-of-the-art equipment - everything but the protons- to simulate the total work environment for treating patients.

The TDC provides before-the-job clinical/technical training programs designed specifically for the needs of medical and administrative staff at a proton therapy center. Forty percent of training can be completed online, preparing physicians, clinical, technical and administrative staffs for the hands-on training at the TDC. Staff will be trained and ready to treat patients before a proton therapy center is opened, ensuring that patient treatments can begin in an efficient and safe manner while reducing the start-up time.

About the Facility

• Two-story, 20,000-square-foot building
• Three treatment simulators:
  • Inclined-beam room that simulates the ability to bring the proton beam in from two angles: horizontal and 60 degrees inclined from the horizontal
  • Gantry room that simulates the full rotation (360 degrees) of the proton beam around the patient
  • Fully operational CT scanner, a state-of-the-art CT Scanner with 4D capabilities that trains radiation therapists to define or "map" the location of the tumor to enable precise treatment with the beam
• Two lecture rooms, treatment planning areas, immobilization device preparation area, conference room and staff and visitor offices

About the Training

• Advanced clinical, technical, interpersonal and administrative training geared specifically to the needs of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists and other staff involved in proton therapy treatment and patient care
• Small class sizes (5 to 8 people) for focused training, led by experts in the field
• Offers accreditation in proton therapy in collaboration with other educational institutions

ProCure Proton Therapy Technology Development

ProCure is advancing the technology used in proton therapy through the development of clinical innovations such as:

• The Inclined Beam Room - a new treatment delivery design and technology that brings the proton beam into the treatment room at two angles: horizontal and 60 degrees inclined from horizontal. This improved delivery system replaces the need for multiple full-gantry treatment rooms.
• Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) - a robotic-based X-ray imaging system developed to ensure precise patient positioning and accurate alignment for treatment, an advance for both proton and photon radiation treatments
• Robotic Patient Positioning - a computer-controlled robotic arm developed to move patients precisely into the treatment position

Web site:  www.procure.com

Media Contact:
Andrea Johnson, PCI
312/558-1770
ajohnson@pcipr.com