The Alabama Cancer Care Network has begun work on a $7 million cancer center overlooking the Coosa River.

A groundbreaking took place Thursday for the project, which will place a 10,000-square-foot facility providing medical oncology, radiation oncology and PET scan diagnostic equipment in one destination.

The center is being built on a formerly city-owned tract of land along South First Street. The center is expected to be completed by the end of the year and create as many as 20 jobs.

The Alabama Cancer Care Network has partnerships with local hospitals, and the center will create opportunities in an economic sector sought after by the city.

“Healthcare has been the fastest growing industry in the United States over the last 20 years, and that’s projected to continue for the next 20 years,” David Hooks, director of the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority, said. “We’ve included healthcare as a targeted sector for recruitment. We are already a regional health hub with a major healthcare community, and we want to expand that.”

Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford said the center will also fit into existing plans for development along the Coosa.

“We’ve got a plan for continued growth on this side of the river with more development opportunities and green space, both of which will complement our expanded healthcare services,” Ford said. “This groundbreaking is the first of many more to come.”