CaroMont Health Begins Construction on New Cancer Center in Gastonia
GASTONIA, NC — CaroMont Health today celebrated the start of construction on the new CaroMont Cancer Center, a 125,000-square-foot facility on the campus of CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia. The event marked a pivotal milestone in the health system’s $200 million investment in oncology care — the second largest investment in CaroMont Health’s history — and offered the community its first look at the facility through the unveiling of a large-scale architectural rendering.
Designed from the ground up around the needs of cancer patients and their families, the new center will bring together medical oncology, radiation therapy, imaging and diagnostics, physician practices, laboratory, pharmacy and supportive care services in a single, connected environment. The facility will double CaroMont Health’s oncology capacity, positioning the health system to serve approximately 3,000 new cancer patients each year across Gaston County and the surrounding region.
“This building represents something far greater than square footage,” said Chris Peek, President and Chief Executive Officer of CaroMont Health. “It is a promise to our community that world-class cancer care will be here – designed for the way patients actually experience their journey, built to evolve alongside the best of what medicine has to offer and grounded in the belief that care is better when it is connected.”
A Facility Designed Around the Patient
The design of the CaroMont Cancer Center reflects a deliberate commitment to reducing the complexity and fragmentation that patients too often experience in cancer care. By consolidating services that patients need most into a single, purpose-built facility, the center is designed to streamline navigation, minimize the burden on patients and families, and create an environment that supports healing at every stage of treatment.
The center will house leading programs focused on the five most prevalent cancers in the region – breast, lung, prostate, colorectal and gynecologic – along with expanded services including brachytherapy, radiopharmaceuticals and enhanced screening programs. Every element of the facility has been planned with both immediate needs and future innovation in mind, ensuring the center can evolve alongside emerging therapies and advancing standards of care.
CaroMont Health hosted a construction kick-off event for the new CaroMont Cancer Center, a 125,000
square-foot facility that included the unveiling of a large-scale architectural rendering of the new facility.
“When we bring our teams and services together in a purpose-built environment, we create the conditions for better collaboration, greater access to advancing medicine, and a more personalized, compassionate experience for every patient and family we serve,” said Dr. Todd Davis, Chief Physician Executive. “This facility is designed to support not just where oncology care is today, but where it is going.”
A Transformative Investment in the Community
The cancer center is the centerpiece of a broader $200 million oncology investment that also includes a new hematology and oncology physician office and a new radiation therapy center (pending CON approval), both on the campus of CaroMont Regional Medical Center–Belmont. Together, these projects will create a connected oncology network across Gastonia, Belmont and Lincolnton, linked by coordinated referral pathways, shared care teams and optimized touchpoints from primary care through survivorship.
The investment directly responds to one of the community’s most pressing health challenges. Cancer is consistently a leading cause of death among Gaston County residents, and the rate of cancer incidence continues to rise. CaroMont Health’s nationally accredited cancer programs already provide care to more than 1,500 patients each year across five counties and two states — a number that continues to grow.
“At CaroMont Health, our strategy has always been to put the needs of our patients and our community first,” Peek continued. “This is not simply about expanding our footprint. We are building an integrated oncology network designed around the way patients and families actually experience care. When care is connected, outcomes are better, the experience is better and the burden on families is lighter.”
Building on a Record of Growth
The cancer center continues a period of historic growth for CaroMont Health. In January 2025, the health system opened CaroMont Regional Medical Center–Belmont, the first hospital ever built in Belmont and the final project in a commitment to invest more than $300 million in construction and expansion across Gaston County. The cancer center and broader oncology investment represent the next major chapter in that trajectory.
A facility and program of this caliber also strengthen CaroMont Health’s ability to recruit top oncology talent, retain patients within the community and grow to meet rising demand for decades to come.
“Our goal is not simply to treat cancer, but to care for the human being facing it – thoughtfully, attentively and compassionately,” said Monica Wright, DNP, Senior Director for Oncology Services at CaroMont Health. “This center will be a place where patients feel known, not rushed. Where families feel informed, included and supported. And where our providers have the time and space to truly connect.”
Additional details about the design and construction timeline for the CaroMont Cancer Center, as well as updates on the new radiation therapy center in Belmont, will be shared in the coming months. CaroMont Hematology & Oncology–Belmont is scheduled to open in July.