To raise money for cancer research, Jon M. Huntsman Sr. wants to sell architectural and operational plans to governments that want to build cancer centers.
They would get similar if not identical plans to the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah in exchange for $5 million a year to fund research at the U.
Huntsman is traveling to four spots in the Middle East --- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia -- as well as Singapore, as part of his efforts. "We're just now gearing back up," Huntsman said Thursday.
Selling hospital cancer plans has been a goal for a couple of years, he said, but it was put on hold when HCI partnered with Intermountain Healthcare to build cancer centers at five Intermountain hospitals in Utah.
Now that those centers are running in Murray, Ogden, St. George, American Fork and Cedar City, Huntsman is back to shopping around HCI plans to wealthy countries and even hospitals in the United States.
HCI needs the money. Research costs about $50 million a year. While cancer centers in other states get money from their state government or affiliated universities, HCI receives nothing from the U. and little from the state's tobacco tax, Huntsman said. Less than half of the budget comes from the federal government, leaving him to raise $25 million to $30 million a year.
"It's a massive personal undertaking," said Huntsman, adding that he is known as the "cancer guy" when he seeks donations.
Randall Burt, HCI's senior director of prevention and outreach, said the organizations that want to create cancer hospitals would receive architectural outlines for a 50- or 100-bed center, along with training on how to run it.
"These are administratively complex issues and can cost large amounts of money and resources and time to put them together," he said. "This is a nice opportunity for them to consider deleting a few steps they would otherwise have to go through."
The Middle East is a focus due to Huntsman's longtime interest there. Just this week, HCI combined with the U.'s Middle East Center to host a conference for researchers in Utah and the Middle East, highlighting higher rates of breast and childhood cancers in those countries.
Burt said the money HCI collects for research will advance its quest to understand the workings of cancer at the genetic and molecular level, which will help HCI better target drugs and understand individuals' predisposition to cancer.
Selling hospital plans will not only provide money, Huntsman added, but it "helps people who have cancer and eliminates human suffering."
The Utah billionaire was recently named as a member of the board of Affiliated Media Inc., holding company of Salt Lake Tribune owner MediaNews Group.
