BUTTE COUNTY, Calif.—A groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of construction for Enloe Health’s new Gonzales Comprehensive Cancer Center. The new state-of-the-art facility will serve Northern California communities, offering advanced treatments and equipment with compassionate, patient-focused care.

Located in Butte County, where cancer is the leading cause of death, the Gonzales Comprehensive Cancer Center will offer life-saving cancer care as well as education and screening, in an accessible location. With a partnership that began in 2022, Enloe Health engaged HGA’s interdisciplinary team to design a facility that could support a wide range of treatments, enhance the patient experience, support staff wellbeing, and provide a connection to the community.

“We chose to partner with HGA because of their strong healthcare and cancer facility expertise. HGA’s thorough research and benchmarking of other cancer facilities resulted in a design for the Gonzales Comprehensive Cancer Center that will offer our communities the advanced care they need and want, without having to drive far from home,” said Mike Wiltermood, President & CEO of Enloe Health.

HGA’s design includes various holistic and biophilic elements including a healing garden, a family lounge with an outdoor patio, and a quiet room. When accessing the facility from the west side patients will be immersed in nature, with pathways covered in trees and other plantings leading from the parking lot to a healing garden at the west entrance. An elegant water feature will create a sense of peace and a ceremonial bell, that will be rung by patients who have completed treatment, is intended to inspire a sense of hope and ease patient anxiety before stepping into the facility.

Once inside, patients will be welcomed by an abundance of natural light and soothing warm colors flowing throughout. Clear wayfinding will direct patients throughout the three-story facility and waiting areas are strategically located in view of administrative staff for patient support and guidance. Arranged for patient ease and accessibility, the first floor will include the radiation and oncology departments, a patient and family resource center, and an alternative therapy suite including acupuncture, massage, and other support services. The second floor will consist of clinics, with universal exam rooms and the ability to flex and expand as patient needs shift. The third floor will house infusion services.

On the third floor, windows will wrap around three sides and an expansive outdoor deck will offer patients receiving infusions views of nature, including mountains to the east. Patients will have a variety of options for where they receive their treatment including community infusion spaces, private rooms, and infusion bays. A comfortable seating area featuring a fireplace will create a warm, homelike atmosphere. Vertical sunshades on the outside of the building are designed to prevent direct sun and excessive heat, while allowing for ample glazing and views to the exterior.

Equally important to patient comfort and care is staff wellness. Included on all floors, staff lounges will provide respite, away from patient care areas. Staff lounges will open to outdoor spaces and are designed with a living room feel, with soft lounge seating and a coffee bar. Each floor will include separate patient and staff hallways for circulating throughout the facility, providing staff respite and allowing for shift preparation outside of patient view

“Working with Enloe Health was a rewarding experience because of their goal of focusing on the patient experience,” said Jennifer Ries, medical planner with HGA. “We implemented our holistic design approach, focusing on how the patients and staff would use the space, which naturally aligned with Enloe’s vision for the new cancer center.”

Expected to be complete in Summer of 2026, the Gonzales Comprehensive Cancer Center will fill an increasing, critical need for cancer care and resources in Northern California. Read Enloe Health’s press release here.

In addition to Ries, project team members include James Willsie, principal –in-charge; Karenda MacDonald, project manager; Kevin Day, lead designer; Tracy Randall, interior design lead; and Shaun Coffey, designer.

Project collaborators include:

General Contractor: Swinerton
Structural Engineering: Buehler
Electrical /Low Voltage: ECOM
Mechanical/Plumbing Engineering: Weston and Associates
Security: Marquis
Medical Equipment Planning: Criterion
Civil Engineering: Northstar
Landscape Architecture: Fuhrman Leamy Land Group
Physicist Consultant: Therapy Physics, Inc.
Art Consulting: Grigio Consulting
Program Management: Covalus

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CHICO, Calif.—HGA was recently selected to lead the architectural design, engineering, interior design and medical planning efforts for Enloe Medical Center’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. The 107,000-square-foot facility will consolidate Enloe’s existing ambulatory cancer services from across Chico, Calif., under one roof in a new community-based outpatient cancer center that will increase the system’s capacity to be able to care for 2,000 new patients each year with the addition of new cancer specialists and an expanded range of services and programs.

Set to open by late 2025, the new facility will serve California’s North State region that annually records higher rates of certain cancers, often diagnosed at a later stage, and higher rates of mortality when compared to other parts of the state and country. In Butte County, where Enloe Medical Center is located, cancer is the leading cause of death.

“We know that with enhanced education, screening and early diagnosis followed by appropriate treatment and survivorship services, cancer survival rates can significantly increase—that’s why the Comprehensive Cancer Center is so important for our community,” said Mike Wiltermood, CEO. “At Enloe Medical Center, we’re proud to treat the vast geography of northern California, and this facility will help us to better serve all of our patients with better preventative care as well as new oncology therapies and programs.”

Located at East 20th Street and Bruce Road in southern Chico, a few miles from Enloe’s primary campus, the Comprehensive Cancer Center will fill a critical gap in the area’s health services left by the recent Camp Fire that destroyed 30 percent of Butte County’s healthcare infrastructure.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center will be outfitted with new equipment and spaces to provide expanded diagnostics, advanced treatment options, additional supportive therapies and more, including:

• Screening and diagnostic imaging spaces
• Radiation oncology services supported by advanced linear accelerators and a brachytherapy vault
• Infusion treatment spaces for chemotherapy complete with new infusion chairs
• Examination and treatment rooms
• Cancer-centric clinical and administrative offices, including pharmacy
• Physician and family meeting rooms
• Spaces for education and wellness activities as well as survivorship programming
• Relaxing respite areas for patients and loved ones

“The new Comprehensive Cancer Center will add much-needed capacity for expanded services and programs supported by top-of-the-line equipment that drives positive clinical outcomes,” said Denis Stroup, HGA’s principal-in-charge. “We share in Enloe’s goal to deliver the best the industry has to offer in cancer care through an environment on par with the larger healthcare systems that are not as easily accessible to local residents.”

Throughout the holistic design process, decisions are being cross-checked and validated by research and benchmarking conducted by HGA’s Design Insight Group (DIG). The group is evaluating data collected by Enloe Medical Center to modify design inputs and determine how they can potentially improve space programming.

“HGA implements an evidence-based design approach with every project we undertake,” said Jennifer Ries, Principal and Sr. Medical Planner. “In clinical settings, the data we review is critical to achieving operational efficiency and treatment outcomes while improving the experiences of patients, physicians and medical support staff alike. It’s always a pleasure to work with clients like Enloe Medical Center that share in this vision for the future of healthcare.”

“We selected HGA due to the firm’s demonstrated ability to leverage deep benchmarking, expertise and empathy in medical planning in addition to their portfolio of previous cancer care projects,” added Kevin Woodward, CFO. “Their team’s focus on an evidence-based approach is in perfect alignment with our commitment to patient-centered care as a Planetree Gold hospital, and we look forward to working with them over the next couple of years.”

The new center sits on approximately 13 acres with over half of the site reserved for the Comprehensive Cancer Center building and necessary parking. The open, cleared parcel was gifted to Enloe Medical Center by Dan and Dawn Gonzales, developers of the adjacent Meriam Park mixed-use community. Fundraising efforts are currently underway for the $120 million dollar Comprehensive Cancer Center, which marks “Phase I” in a multi-phase expansion by the regional medical center to deliver new forms of enhanced care for the North State region.

“This project is so exciting,” says Denise Adams, who is on the board of the Enloe board of trustees. “I am one hundred percent behind it. It’s wonderful for the community. Patients will be given high quality treatment and treated close to home. I’m so excited to be on board. I’m really thrilled to be a part of the process as we move forward with the project.”

In addition to Stroup, the HGA team includes Terri Zborowsky, design researcher; James Willsie, project manager; Brent Peterson, operational efficiency expert; Kevin Day, project designer; Jennifer Ries, medical planner; and JoAnn Brookes, project architect.

Additional project collaborators include Buehler Engineering Inc., structural engineering; ECOM Engineering, electrical and low voltage engineering; Weston & Associates, mechanical and plumbing engineering; Criterion, medical equipment planning; NorthStar, civil engineering; and Marquis, security. Swinerton was recently selected as the contractor.

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