Part of GW Hospital’s cancer treatment center is shifting into a temporary site at 23rd and H streets in preparation for the demolition of its current location to make way for the School of Public Health and Health Services’ new building.

The radiation oncology unit’s departure from the Warwick Memorial Building will “allow for a seamless transition in patient care” until a new hospital facility with updated medical technology opens at 2131 K St., Steven Taubenkibel, a spokesman for the hospital, said.

In a letter sent to students living in residence halls near campus construction sites, Dean of Students Peter Konwerski and Senior Associate Vice President for Operations Alicia Knight said the parking lot near Tompkins Hall would be replaced by “temporary facilities” for the center.

The radiation oncology unit, part of the GW Cancer Institute, offers radiation therapy to tumors and cancer cells to “lower patents’ risks of complications and side effects,” according to the hospital’s website.
 
Demolition of the unit’s former site will begin this spring and will continue into the summer, University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said, declining to provide a more specific date for the bulldozing.

The 90-foot tall public health building, which will sit between New Hampshire Avenue and 24th Street, will bring the 15-year-old school’s seven departments under one roof. Public health classes are currently housed in Ross Hall, a building that belongs to the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

At about $75 million and 115,000 square feet, the structure is scheduled for completion by late 2013. It will include a café with prepared food and beverages, as well as 81 bicycle parking spaces.

The D.C. Zoning Commission stamped the project with a formal order of approval July 25, 2011.