St. Luke’s University Health Network celebrated the opening of its newest cancer treatment center and medical office building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its location on the Monroe Campus in Bartonsville on Thursday.

The center, which will begin accepting patients on Nov. 20, will house the latest technology in radiation therapy.

The ceremony was attended by physicians, nurses and administrative staff of the hospital as well as members of St. Luke’s Board and even a few patients. A number of elected officials were present including Senator Mario Scavello, Representatives Rosemary Brown, Maureen Madden and Jack Rader Jr.

The medical, surgical and gynecologic oncology departments are all located on the first floor of the three story building. Radiation therapy delivered by a Varian TrueBEAM Linear Accelerator. Patients will also have access to state-of-the-art CT scan equipment.

“The addition of a brand-new cancer center to the Monroe Campus gives community members the ability to receive the compassionate, skilled cancer care St. Luke’s is known for, without having to travel,” said Dr. Nicholas Taylor, chairman of Oncology and Chief of Gynecologic Oncology for St. Luke’s. “What we hear from our patients time and time again is that they trust us to provide the best care — and they appreciate that we do it in a highly personalized and compassionate way.”

There is also a comfortable infusion suite located on the third floor. Cancer patients and others who require infusion therapy will be placed in one of 12 spacious rooms that come equipped with televisions and outlets for keeping your smartphone charged.

The second floor of the new medical office building will be home to St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care and X-ray imaging center.

The center also houses the Sleep Clinic and in January will open St. Luke’s Regional Breast Center.

The center will provide patients with the latest technology including low-dose 3D Mammography. The “SensorySuite” will give patients more control over their environment during testing which will lead to a more comfortable experience. Patients with abnormal findings will now have the option to have a biopsy done immediately which is another way that the center hopes to limit the amount of anxiety and fear associated with breast health issues.

Monroe Campus President Don Seiple expressed his gratitude to the community for its welcome to the area. Seiple said that St. Luke’s had believed that this area of Monroe County had been underserved.

Seiple said that in its first year the hospital had treated over 32,000 people, which was 39 percent higher than was originally anticipated. The Emergency Department has seen 59 percent more patients than were anticipated.

“Our number of visits has far exceeded our expectations,” Seiple said of the hospital’s first year. “We are incredibly grateful to the community for welcoming us with open arms. Since we opened, we have had an overwhelmingly positive response.”

“The people of Monroe County trust us to care for them.”

The new medical office building is more than 37,000 square feet and will be completed at a cost of $22 million. With the addition, the campus will provide around 600 jobs.

St. Luke’s will also be opening its newest health center in Brodheadsville in January and a specialty practice in Bartonsville in November of next year.

“It’s not the bricks and mortar that keeps patients coming back,” said St. Luke’s President and CEO, Richard Anderson. “It is how you treat people, how you make them feel.”

Anderson stressed that it is St. Luke’s mission to bring high quality and easy access to health care.