Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System plans to open a comprehensive cancer treatment center that would add radiation and other treatment options to the system’s Harbour View campus.

The 31,000-square-foot center would be housed in a newly constructed building and be the new location for the radiation equipment that is currently housed at the Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth.

“We’re looking to plan for the future,” said Lynne Zultanky, media relations director for Bon Secours. “The western Hampton Roads area and Suffolk are growing very rapidly.”

The projected cost of the entire project is $10.8 million, with $7.5 million being used for needed equipment and renovations at the site.

However, Bon Secours will have to get approval for the plan because it calls for the relocation of radiation services. Zultanky said the health system is confident the Virginia Department of Health will approve the project around November.

“We feel like we have answered the reasons why this would be better in the new location,” Zultanky said. “We believe that we are better able to care for the patients in a central location. The majority of the growth is out in that area of the community.”

Zultanky added having the services at one location is more convenient for patients, and the Suffolk location is well-situated for residents of many of the communities in Hampton Roads.

In addition to the location, she said, Bon Secours officials thought it makes more sense to have radiation, which is typically an outpatient service, provided at an outpatient campus like Harbour View.

“Radiation services is one of the many services in health care that has migrated to an out patient status,” she said. “We feel that by joining all the other services into a dedicated cancer center, we can better serve these patients.”

Also, many of the radiation patients’ physicians are located in Harbour View, and by having the cancer services all in one location, it is easier for the doctors to have team meetings to discuss treatment plans, Zultanky said.

She said she thinks the new cancer center will be a great addition to the Harbour View campus.

“We’ll have almost everything out there except in-patient beds,” she said.