The Ephrata Oncology Center was constructed for Ephrata Community Hospital to respond to the community’s growing need for state-of-the-art healthcare that is close to home. Previously, patients that needed these advanced cancer treatments would have to travel outside of the Ephrata area to receive care. Now this care is convenient, easing the burden of an already difficult situation.

The Ephrata Oncology Center is a 20,000 square foot facility built on one level. The building has concrete and masonry foundations and a combination of structural steel bearing and load bearing structural studs. The roof system is also a combination of bar joist and a wood truss system. Most of the construction was conventional with the exception of the Linear Accelerator Area. This area required an eight-inch thick concrete slab with lead block walls, all necessary to ensure that no radiation escapes into the adjacent occupied spaces.

This freestanding Oncology Center contains two separate treatment areas¯the Linear Accelerator Area and an Infusion Treatment Area. Also included in the facility are doctor’s offices, patient consultation rooms and full staff and support areas. This facility also houses the Ephrata Area Home Hospice Headquarters.

For Benchmark Construction Company, Inc., the project included site work [with extensive rock removal], utility installation and highway improvements. All work was completed in only seven months and this included a massive coordination effort to accommodate the highly technical linear accelerator.

In the end, Ephrata Community Hospital received another high quality facility ahead of schedule and well under their anticipated budget.

Location: Ephrata, PA

Design Professionals: Drasba Widdall Architects

Total SF: 20,000 SF

Value: $3.2 Million

Awards:  2001 ABC - Keystone Chapter AWARD OF MERIT

Services Provided: General Construction Services

“We appreciate the efforts made to keep the project on budget and schedule, while achieving top quality results. Having worked with Benchmark Construction on a series of projects over the last few years, our firm has grown to appreciate the effort and skill that Benchmark brings to a project.” G. Scott Widdall, AIA Drasba Widdall Architects