UNC Health Blue Ridge is embarking on a period of growth and expansion program called Project Forward: Your Hospital, Your Future. On the Valdese campus to the left of the hospital, Project Forward calls for a new $38.3 million cancer center as part of a 34,272-sq. ft. addition and renovation plan, part of a $163 million investment in construction projects planned for the next two years.
A groundbreaking ceremony recently took place on the campus.
The new cancer center will include an infusion therapy and treatment area; medical and radiation oncology exam, consultation, and treatment rooms; and two new linear accelerators. There will be dedicated space for education, support, and group therapy.
Brasfield & Gorrie is the project’s general contractor.
“Brasfield & Gorrie works every day to build strong communities, and it’s an honor to do so through our work with UNC Health Blue Ridge. Cancer has affected nearly everyone in some way, and the new cancer center will be a state-of-the-art tool in the fight against this terrible disease,” Brasfield & Gorrie regional vice-president and division manager Michael Byrd said in a May 20 statement.
A second groundbreaking later this summer will take place on the Morganton campus where a six-story tower will be built on the right-hand side of the hospital. Brasfield & Gorrie will also be the general contractor for this project.
Over the next two years, UNC Health Blue Ridge will invest $156 million into these construction projects. Construction in Valdese is expected to wrap up in August 2023.