6,000 square feet. Brand new infusion bays. A whole host of support services. When Mary Bird Perkins staff cut the ribbon on the newly expanded and refurbished Gonzales cancer center earlier this week, there was a lot to see.
Located at 1104 W. Highway 30, the Gonzales center has long been one of the Cancer Center’s primary locations outside Baton Rouge. Since opening in 2009, it has provided much-needed radiation and medical oncology cancer services to not just Gonzales, but the wider Ascension Parish community.
The past 16 years have been particularly busy for the area. Its population has exploded, having nearly doubled in size since 2000, and a concurrent rise in cancer rates meant a growing need for even more cancer services.
Sensing the community’s need, Mary Bird Perkins got to work. In collaboration with local philanthropic donors, it began its Invest in Ascension campaign to raise money for a new and improved Gonzales cancer center, seeking to introduce new services for the area’s burgeoning population.
Philanthropy was key. Among the most prominent and supportive donors was the Gonzales Area Foundation (GAF), a decade-long Mary Bird Perkins supporter which immediately pledged $500,000, out of a total of $2.5 million, toward the project.
Work on the new facility began early in 2025, with scores of construction workers putting in long hours to make sure everything was ready for the big September reveal. The day of the ribbon cutting and open house began early, with a television crew from WAFB turning up before 5 a.m. to record live shots of the building with Mary Bird Perkins’ Baton Rouge Cancer Sites Administrator Michelle Williams and Chief Philanthropy Officer Danielle Mack. The pair demonstrated the center’s new infusion bays, front lobby and its range of brand-new fixtures, offering a sneak peak before the afternoon’s ceremonies.
Later that day, around 4 p.m., local dignitaries, philanthropic donors and Mary Bird Perkins staff gathered as Mary Bird Perkins CEO and president Dr. Jonas Fontenot cut the ribbon, to a round of cheers. It was a fitting celebration for months of hard work.
“This expansion comes from many years of collaborating with Ascension Parish residents and providing for their needs,” Dr. Fontenot told the crowd. “We know this space will offer the proximity and clinical quality that patients have wanted, and in most cases they will be able to access cancer services in a comfortable setting, close to home, where they have the support of nearby family members and friends.”