Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) in Florida, US, has begun the construction of a Cancer Pavilion to advance cancer care.
Part of the Brian D Jellison Cancer Institute expansion, the pavilion is a seven-storey, 200,000ft² outpatient facility situated near the inpatient Oncology Tower, which opened in 2021.
This initiative follows the establishment of SMH's first Cancer Institute facility, the Radiation Oncology Center, in 2020, and the subsequent opening of the Oncology Tower in 2021.
The Cancer Institute has treated nearly 1,800 patients and performed more than 30,000 advanced treatments to date.
Scheduled to open in late 2025, the Cancer Pavilion will offer comprehensive outpatient oncology services covering prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials, survivorship care and ongoing support.
Services at the pavilion will include an expanded breast health centre, outpatient surgery suites, advanced brachytherapy, radiation oncology, infusion centre, diagnostic imaging suite, medical, surgical and radiation oncology practices, integrative care clinics, and patient navigation and support.
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System president and CEO David Verinder said: “Thousands of local cancer patients are now receiving the highest level of care, close to home.
“We are truly offering new hope and healing to our community, and it just wouldn’t be possible without the vision and commitment of our remarkable partners.”
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral centre in Southwest Florida that treats more than one million patients a year through its two hospital campuses, freestanding emergency room, nursing and rehabilitation centre, and network of outpatient and urgent care centres.
The flagship 901-bed hospital provides outpatient services and is claimed to be among the US' best cancer care facilities.
In November 2021, the health system opened a second acute care hospital, SMH-Venice, to treat patients from across the south Sarasota County region.
It has also established the Brian D Jellison Cancer Institute to enhance cancer care in the community.
