KITTANNING, PA. (Jan. 18, 2023) - The Laube Cancer Center at Armstrong County Memorial Hospital (ACMH) has recently completed a year-long, $8 million expansion and renovation project that greatly enhances patients’ access to and experience with the hospital’s cancer programs in a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility. Now open to patients, the center is directed by physicians from the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Cancer Institute and staffed by a team of highly trained ACMH nurses and medical assistants who are dedicated to providing exceptional cancer care.
“We are thrilled to announce the completion of this much-needed transformation of our cancer center,” said John Lewis, ACMH Hospital President and CEO. “As more and more people are turning to ACMH as their trusted healthcare provider and demand for our center’s radiation and oncology services continues to grow, this new facility provides us with the capacity to meet those needs at the highest level for current and future generations.”
The ACMH Laube Cancer Center expansion includes: additional exam rooms, physician offices, and support service offices; a new canopied entranceway designed for easier wayfinding to treatment areas; an open connection to the upper floor through a two-story gallery that provides abundant natural daylight, and a spacious waiting area designed to maximize patient and family comfort.
“This endeavor would not be possible without many partners coming together to make it happen,” Lewis said. “From initial Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant funding to our community donors and our AHN Cancer Institute partners, the center’s revitalization is the result of many individuals and organizations coming together to ensure a vital future of cancer care in our region.”
The ACMH Laube Cancer Center, located in Kittanning, is the only comprehensive cancer treatment facility within Armstrong County.
David Bartlett, MD, Chair of AHN’s Cancer Institute, said care provided close to home is the ideal setting for every cancer patient and a core philosophy of AHN’s strategy for advancing cancer treatment throughout western Pennsylvania.
“A fundamental tenet of AHN and Highmark Health’s Living Health model is that patients should not need to travel great distances to receive comprehensive, world-class health services,” said Dr. Bartlett. “Our oncologists provide expert, compassionate care at many sites throughout western Pennsylvania, including ACMH, and we are delighted to now be able to do so for residents of Armstrong County and surrounding areas in this beautiful, new state-of-the-art facility, that offers the utmost in patient comfort and convenience.”
The new center will allow for a “more streamlined and efficient approach to cancer treatment,” according to Lewis. “We’ve created an environment that is supportive and healing, one that brings together a broad array of leading cancer experts to deliver the best care possible in the convenience and comfort of a close-to-home location.”
The center’s clinical layout, now expanded to over 20,000 square feet, features larger IV therapy bays, minimizing noise and maximizing privacy and comfort while providing access to natural light and direct proximity to nursing staff and other support services. Infusion capacity has nearly doubled to now house 18 chemotherapy bays and two private rooms. Exam room capacity has also been increased from four to 10 rooms in the new center.
ACMH and AHN partner to provide a full spectrum of surgical, medical and radiation oncology services. The cancer center’s advanced technologies and clinician expertise offer patients a wide array of resources to help diagnose cancer in its earliest stages and care for those diagnosed at any stage.
Among the AHNCI physicians who practice at ACMH are medical oncologists Gene Finley, MD and Jyothika Mamadgi, MD, radiation oncologist Tracy Klayton, MD, surgical oncologist Rebecca Edmonds, MD., and surgeon Kirsten Newhams, MD, MPH.
“We are so pleased to be welcoming our patients into this new and vibrant facility,” stated Nichole Geraci, ACMH Hospital Chief Operations Officer. “From the initial design meetings through to the facility’s completion, our primary focus has been on enhancing the patient experience and the efficient delivery of expert cancer care.”
ACMH representatives thank the community for their support of the project.
“Many individuals in the community had a hand in the completion of this newly revitalized cancer center,” states Dana Mikos, ACMH Executive Director of Nursing. “Through community-based initiatives and events such as the hospital’s Color Run for Cancer and our annual golf outing, people came together to support this expansion in many ways, and we thank each and every one of them for supporting us.”
A public Open House event is planned for March where members of the community and supporting partners will be invited to celebrate the reopening of the center.
ACMH and AHN Cancer Institute will also mark the opening of the new center with a free cancer screening session, taking place at the center on March 11. Details on the screenings and registration information will be released at a future date.
