Princeton, WV (WOAY) – WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital began demolishing its former laundry facility Tuesday, clearing the way for a new $36 million Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The demolition marks the first major construction milestone for the project. The new facility will be built on the footprint where the laundry building stood since 1990. Hospital officials held a ceremony to honor the laundry team’s legacy before work began.
Hospital President and CEO Karen Bowling said the demolition was a critical step on the project’s timeline, and that the new center is designed to consolidate cancer services currently spread across multiple locations.
“Our goal is really to provide it in one area so that if you’re a patient who has cancer, you and your family know where you’re going,” Bowling said.
Currently, patients must travel to separate locations for radiation oncology, medical oncology, and imaging services. The new center aims to bring those services along with expanded clinical trial access under one roof.
“I don’t want there to be disparities in the way health care is treated based on your zip code. If you live in southern West Virginia, you deserve the best health care. And that’s our goal at WVU Medicine, and PCH is to provide the best health care that we can here,” she said.
The hospital is targeting a completion date of late 2027. Officials say additional ceremonies are planned as construction reaches future milestones.
