Piedmont Cancer Institute Breaks Ground on New Fayetteville Facility

Piedmont Cancer Institute broke ground Tuesday, May 5, on a new Fayetteville facility designed to bring more space, faster access, and expanded cancer care to patients in the region.

The new building, located at 1347 Veterans Parkway, sits just a few minutes from Piedmont Fayette Hospital at the corner of Highway 54 and Veterans Parkway, across from QTS and near Trilith. The project is being developed by SouthTree and designed by Jefferson Brown, with Piedmont Cancer Institute sharing the building with Digestive Healthcare of Georgia. Physicians say the move keeps care close to the hospital while addressing long-standing space and access challenges.

Parking and navigation at the current hospital-based location have been frequent concerns for patients, particularly those undergoing treatment.

Current parking challenges have been compounded by ongoing construction at Piedmont Fayette Hospital, which physicians said has reduced available spaces in recent months.

For many patients—often older adults facing cancer—simply getting from the parking lot to the office can be a challenge.

“Some of them are 75, 80, 85 years old,” Dr. Jonathan Bender said. “They have a walker. They’re in a wheelchair, so it’s been an ordeal for them to deal with this.”

The new site is expected to offer easier access, more parking, and a more streamlined experience.

Bringing care under one roof

Piedmont Cancer Institute is a physician-owned, physician-led practice specializing in oncology and hematology. In Fayetteville, the practice currently operates across multiple areas within the hospital campus, which can be confusing for patients and limiting for staff.

“We’re fragmented,” Bender said. “We need to be in one space all together, and that’s what this office off campus will allow us to do.”

The new building will consolidate services into a single location and create room for growth. The facility is expected to open in January 2028, according to physicians involved in the project.

Dr. Vipin Lohiya said the added space will allow the practice to expand both its team and the range of services offered on site.

The added space will allow services not currently housed on site.

“If you have a dietitian, or if you have a counselor, all those things can come into picture,” Lohiya said. “They have physical space where they can be stationed in the office and help patients out.”

Dr. Trevor Feinstein, a hematologist/oncologist who works in the Fayetteville office five days a week, said the new building will also include space for patient education and support.

“One of the plans is going to be, is to have a classroom for maybe about like 15 people that want to come in, that we could do nutrition demonstrations, you know, have social services come in,” Feinstein said.

The facility will also include expanded lab capabilities, additional clinical staff, more infusion chairs, more exam rooms, and more room for research and clinical trials.

Staffing and hospital coverage

The Fayetteville office is staffed by five physicians and seven advanced practice providers.

Two of those advanced practice providers are stationed at Piedmont Fayette Hospital each day, serving as a direct link between the hospital and the practice. They see newly admitted patients with potential cancer or blood disorders and monitor existing Piedmont Cancer Institute patients who are hospitalized.

“They will see those people immediately,” Dr. Jonathan Bender said. “As soon as somebody calls one of them for a new patient consult, or letting us know that one of our patients are admitted to the hospital, either Danielle or Joe will go to that person or see them in the hospital.”

The model allows the practice to begin evaluations and coordinate care in real time, rather than waiting for physicians to finish clinic hours.

Faster access, less waiting

Physicians emphasized that timing is critical in cancer care, particularly in the days following a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis.

“Once you know or suspect that you have cancer, your anxiety level goes through the roof, and they want to be seen right away,” Bender said.

Lohiya said the practice already works to bring cancer patients in quickly, often within a week, but demand continues to grow alongside the region’s population.

Feinstein said one of the challenges for patients is having to travel to Atlanta for some procedures or subspecialty care. Expanding in Fayetteville will allow the practice to add more medical oncologists locally and reduce wait times.

“One of the struggles for patients is wait time, and that hopefully, with adding more doctors on, we can reduce that wait time,” Feinstein said. “And you know, I think the sooner you get in to see your doctor, the better patient outcomes are.”

A larger, purpose-built facility is expected to reduce bottlenecks, particularly in areas like lab work, exam rooms, and infusion chairs.

“Right now, what our limitation is is, I mean, we clearly need another doctor,” Feinstein said. “We definitely need another advanced practitioner, but that we just don’t have the room to expand.”

Specialized treatment closer to home

Feinstein said Piedmont Cancer Institute offers standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy, along with a newer outpatient treatment model known as BiTE therapy, or T-cell engager therapy.

He said the practice is currently the only site in Georgia offering the treatment in an outpatient setting, even though patients typically must be hospitalized elsewhere to receive it.

“It’s a protein that grabs the cancer cell and then pulls the immune system into the cancer cell,” Feinstein said.

The treatment is being used in some lymphomas and small cell lung cancer, he said. Because patients can have unusual side effects, they must remain within an hour of the office during the early treatment period.

“Everyone wants to be in their own bed and eat the food they want to eat,” Feinstein said. “In the hospital’s never great sleep. You got nurses checking vitals every couple of hours.”

The new building’s added space will allow the practice to expand access to treatments that require frequent early monitoring, while allowing more patients to stay close to home.

Growing with the community

The new Fayetteville location is part of Piedmont Cancer Institute’s broader effort to expand care across south metro Atlanta. The practice operates multiple locations, including offices in Newnan, Stockbridge, Locust Grove, Sandy Springs, and Johns Creek.

For Fayette County patients, the new site offers a balance of accessibility and proximity to hospital resources, while positioning the practice within one of the area’s fastest-growing corridors.

Feinstein said the new building reflects a long-awaited investment in local cancer care.

“To me, the most exciting is to have a building dedicated for cancer, to improve capacity and reduce wait times for patients,” Feinstein said. “We can better treat our cancer patients locally.”

Lohiya said the investment reflects both current demand and future growth.

“This building is going to change how we take care of cancer patients, especially on the south side,” Lohiya said. “Services will be faster, more clinical trial options and more other services that can be provided.”

This isn’t the last of their growth. The doctors indicated that soon the practice’s eyes will be focused on a new, better facility near Piedmont Newnan Hospital.