Allegheny Health Network Building New Cancer Center

PITTSBURGH, PA - The Allegheny Health Network detailed plans Tuesday for a $35 million cancer and imaging center to be built at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. The 63,000-square-foot facility already is under construction and is expected to open next year.

The AHN Cancer Institute at Forbes Hospital is part of a $225 million investment in cancer care in western Pennsylvania by AHN and parent Highmark Health. The Forbes cancer center is one of a half dozen community based cancer treatment facilities that AHN will build over the next several years.

“The evidence is clear that a cancer patient’s experience and outcome are both enhanced greatly by having access to high-quality, comprehensive clinical and support services under one roof and in a proximity to their home that is the least burdensome to them and their families,” Cynthia Hundorfean, AHN president and CEO, said in a statement.

“The new Cancer Institute at Forbes is a perfect example of AHN and Highmark delivering on our promise to bring that ideal model of care to all of the communities we serve.”

Hospital officials said the new facility will offer state-of-the-art radiation oncology capabilities, medical oncology and infusion therapy, advanced imaging, nutritional counseling, social services and access to clinical trials being coordinated by the network’s quaternary hospitals, Allegheny General, West Penn and Johns Hopkins.

The new center’s imaging capabilities will include PET scans, MRI, CT scans, X-rays, bone density testing and ultrasound imaging. The facility will feature abundant natural light and soft colors in hopes of creating as comfortable an environment as possible for patients.

“Our goal is to create an atmosphere that’s not ‘institutional,’ where patients aren’t spending long periods of time in waiting rooms,” Forbes Hospital president Dr. Mark Rubino said. “We want patients to be able to walk in and proceed directly to the treatment area, so they are able to return to the comfort of their home as soon as possible.”

Rendering via Allegheny Health Network.