A $17.5 million donation to VHC Health, the largest philanthropic gift in the organization’s history, is supporting a new cancer center expected to open in 2028.
VHC Health is renaming its outpatient pavilion the “Arlene Evans and Barry Dewberry Outpatient Pavilion” in honor of the donors, who previously contributed $3 million to the hospital that helped establish a simulation center on the hospital’s main Arlington campus.
The new Arlene Evans and Barry Dewberry Cancer Center is expected to open in the outpatient pavilion in summer 2028, unifying access to cancer care in one location for more than 2,000 patients annually, VHC Health said in a press release yesterday (Tuesday).
Arlene Evans, who at one time served as a nurse in Virginia Hospital Center’s operating department, said the couple’s deep appreciation for VHC Health led them to invest in its future.
“We have long admired VHC Health’s independence, its deep connection to the Northern Virginia region, and the physicians, nurses, and care teams who care for patients and families,” Evans said, adding:
“When cancer care is available close to home, it eases an already painful and difficult experience, and we are proud to support this Center that will help ease that burden.”
Dewberry said, “This gift is our way of continuing that relationship and honoring the people who make VHC Health such an important part of this community.”
The cancer center will deliver a medical practice integrating multiple oncology specialties, including medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, hematology, infusion therapy, diagnostics, imaging, research, palliative care and survivorship services.
“When our diagnostics, infusion therapy, radiation, and support services are located under one roof, it will alleviate the burden on patients and their families, allowing them to concentrate on healing,” said Melody Dickerson, senior vice president for hospital operations and chief nursing officer at VHC Health.
Chris Lane, the hospital organization’s CEO, said the donation provided the necessary financial backing to support plans for the cancer center.
“Our shared vision to add cancer services in a single location could not have been possible without their philanthropic foresight,” Lane said.
The financial support will also unify multidisciplinary care and introduce innovative services from VHC Health, and will allow the Clinical Research and Trial Office to be located alongside patient-care services, hospital officials said.
It will also expand survivorship, psychosocial, nutrition and integrative therapy programs to support families from the moment of diagnosis through long-term recovery.
Barry Dewberry is executive chairman of Dewberry, a planning, engineering and construction-management firm founded by his father, Sidney Dewberry, in 1956. The company has grown to employ more than 2,500 people with annual revenue of more than $750 million.
Barry Dewberry and Arlene Evans have supported a variety of Northern Virginia philanthropic initiatives, providing gifts to George Mason University and the Fairfax County Park Foundation, among other organizations.
