Harnett Health, a Cape Fear Valley Health System member, has announced a new Cancer Center to be constructed at Central Harnett Hospital in Lillington. 

The new three-story Cancer Center and Medical Arts complex will cover 70,000 square feet. It’s expected to include specialty services such as a surgical clinic, neurology, cardiology, and orthopedics. 

The complex will sit on a four-acre lot in front of the hospital on Brightwater Drive. Trees currently cover the area of the hospital grounds near the parking lot. 

The estimated cost of the medical arts building is between $35 and $40 million. Of that, the Cancer Center will cost about $12 million. 

“A tax-exempt debt issuance was completed in 2022 and included funding for a portion of the project,” Cape Fear Valley Health Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnson shared via e-mail. “The remaining funding is expected to come from equity and philanthropic support.” 

Some of that support comes from Harnett Health Foundation’s newly launched campaign to fundraise $5 million for the Cancer Center. 

Established in 2004 to raise funds for Betsy Johnson Hospital in Dunn, the foundation has never run a capital campaign before this one. Executive director Scott Childers came on board in October, just in time to campaign for the much-anticipated Cancer Center. 

“This is special because there’s a lot of excitement and momentum because of the difference a full cancer center will make for Harnett County,” says Childers. 

Central Harnett Hospital opened in 2013 with essential services, including cancer diagnostic services and chemotherapy treatments. Since 2020, Central Harnett has seen a 40 percent increase in cancer patient visits annually. However, the area lacks radiation therapy services, meaning nearly half of those patients must travel for treatment. The oncological practice requires several daily treatments throughout a multi-week course, making excessive travel a physical and financial hindrance.

“Because of that, they have to go elsewhere, to Wake or UNC or Cape Fear,” says Childers. “This is going to be big for them. We’re excited to be able to offer that.”

The 17,000-square-foot Cancer Center proposes state-of-the-art features, including a linear accelerator (LINAC) targeted radiation therapy treatment, CT scanning, 16 infusion chairs, private rooms, and even dedicated office space for volunteers. One goal is for patients to have a tranquil garden view during infusion treatments.

Once the plans for the center were approved, the foundation held off on launching a campaign until the logistics were worked out. Typical fundraising targets smaller projects, and an annual campaign focuses on internal donors and community outreach as potential donors. An annual golf tournament also raises money.

This year’s tournament, on Oct. 12 at the Keith Hills Golf Course, will also raise funds for the cancer center.

The cancer center campaign will follow this general strategy but is currently in a silent phase collecting large dollar donations, according to Childers. The foundation has currently raised $670,000 toward its $5 million goal. 

The funds are targeted for the cost of the cancer treatment equipment, estimated at $5.5 million.

“We’re hoping to raise half before we really announce the campaign,” shared Childers. “We’ve had a good response so far.”

According to Cape Fear Valley Health, site work begins in August, with Charlotte-based developer The Keith Corporation and Raleigh architecture firm LS3P leading the project. The construction is expected to take 14 months to complete, according to Childers. 

He expects the foundation’s campaign to take six to eight months, but hopes they’ll have the funds by the medical arts building groundbreaking on Sept. 7th.

Childers hopes the Cancer Center’s location will have a long-lasting impact. 

“It’s also going to help us, as we look down the road with our positions, to encourage and attract the best physicians in the area to stay here and be in Harnett County.”