Lewiston cancer care center breaks ground

Dignitaries ceremonially break ground Thursday for construction of Central Maine Healthcare’s $33 million Cancer Care Center at High and Main streets in Lewiston. From left are: Jeffrey Brickman, president and CEO of Central Maine Healthcare; U.S. Sen. Susan Collins; Deborah Dunlap Avasthi, chairwoman of the board of directors of Central Maine Healthcare; Steven Littleson, president of Central Maine Medical Center; Hector Tarraza, system chief of oncology and associate chief of surgical care at Central Maine Oncology; and Dr. Nicholette Erickson, Central Maine Oncology. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

LEWISTON — Central Maine Healthcare officially broke ground on its new $33 million cancer care center at Holland and Main streets on Thursday.

Located on the Central Maine Medical Center campus, the 50,000-square-foot facility will replace and centralize all of the hospital’s cancer care, including radiation and doctor’s offices. Currently, cancer care is spread across the campus.

In its application to the state last year, CMHC said it needed the new center in large part because its two linear accelerators were nearing the end of their lifespans and hospital officials believed it would be “inadvisable” to retrofit the current space for new ones.

The center is to be built by a developer and leased by CMHC over 20 years. The state approved the project in April.

Half a dozen hospital leaders and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins spoke at the ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday.

Construction is expected to start Monday and finish in February 2022.