Construction of WMC Cancer Center To Start Soon

WMC Cancer Center

WINCHESTER, Va. — Site work is scheduled to begin soon for the new cancer center at Winchester Medical Center, said WMC Chief Operating Officer Skip Philips. The official construction groundbreaking is expected to be in early or mid-May, Philips said. “We’re targeting completion in the third quarter of 2016,” Philips said.

The 52,000-square-foot center will adjoin the Diagnostic Center on the northeast side of the WMC campus. 
The facility will house all outpatient oncology services, including physician offices, exam rooms, chemotherapy and radiation treatment areas, surgical follow-up, and clinical research and support services. The building will seek LEED certification. The design emphasizes natural light and outdoor views and includes a healing garden. The architect is Perkins + Will.

The estimated cost of the cancer center is $27 million. Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc. is the project’s general contractor, with Frederick’s Perry Engineering also working on the site.

Those two firms are also handling a major project at another Valley Health facility — a new emergency department and medical office building at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital. The 47,000- square- foot addition at SMH is expected to cost $17.5 million.

“With winter weather soon to be behind us, we are eager to get started on facility projects that will significantly improve the patient experience at two of our hospital campuses,” says Valley Health System President and CEO Mark H. Merrill. “By using the same contractor and aligning the timelines for both projects, we’ve been able to achieve significant cost efficiencies.”

“Through the use of alternative materials and fast-track scheduling, we were able to greatly reduce the cost of the work and duration of the project overall,” said Jeff Boehm, President of Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc.

Source: Sally Voth, Winchester Star