Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute Is Expanding and Now Providing Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Services to the Brandon Area and Surrounding Communities

The introduction of the infusion center is a part of Tampa General Hospital's ongoing commitment to developing a world-class cancer center for patients across all communities in the Tampa Bay region.

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is expanding services for the rapidly growing communities of south Hillsborough County by adding another TGH Cancer Institute Infusion Center to its patient offerings, with state-of-the-art radiation oncology services to follow. Located in the TGH Brandon Healthplex outpatient medical center at 10740 Palm River Road in Tampa, the newest TGH Cancer Institute Infusion Center will help make infusion treatment and cancer care more accessible and closer to home for patients in the Brandon area and surrounding communities.

At this state-of-the-art infusion center, a group of cancer care specialists and physician-scientists, with the assistance of specially trained oncology nurses, will deliver compassionate cancer care in a very relaxed environment for all oncology infusion needs that include: 

• Breast, thoracic oncology, head and neck cancers, sarcomas, colorectal and gynecologic oncology
• Advanced care, including liver and hepatobiliary oncology, genitourinary (reproductive system and genitourinary tract) and hematologic malignancies
• Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer
• Neurology, neurosurgery and neuro-oncology

"Providing the most compassionate and comprehensive cancer care closer to home is a priority for Tampa General Cancer Institute," said Dr. Eduardo Sotomayor, director of the TGH Cancer Institute. "Adding an infusion center in an area close to the intersection of two major highways will improve patients' accessibility to the latest cancer treatments, including immunotherapies and targeted therapy, as well as innovative clinical trials. The radiation oncology center, which will soon be adjacent to our infusion center, will also allow us to provide multidisciplinary care (a team of surgical oncologists, medical oncologists/hematologists and radiation oncologists working together) closer to home. This also means that patients have one less piece to worry about when dealing with a diagnosis that is already difficult enough on its own."

The infusion center will be launched in two phases. Phase 1 will host 19 fully functional infusion privacy areas. Phase 2 (expected in December 2022) will offer an additional 26 fully functional private chemotherapy areas for the treatment of cancer with semi-private and private rooms for patient convenience. The infusion center will be open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The infusion center was developed under the direction of Leo Begazo, assistant director of the TGH Cancer Institute, to provide more access to infusion care services for the south Hillsborough community.

"We want patients to feel at home, and we have worked to create a space that supports the healing process for patients receiving infusion treatments since they can be with us for several hours," Sotomayor said.

Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the TGH Cancer Institute Infusion Center are designed to create a comfortable environment that promotes healing and wellness for patients. In addition to individual infusion privacy areas, the center has pods of four infusion stations that can help encourage connection and camaraderie, which can also be therapeutic. A separate area with beverages and light snacks is intended to make patients' family members feel welcome as well. Free parking is also provided to facilitate patients' experience.

As part of the TGH Cancer Institute's expanded services in south Hillsborough, the Radiation Oncology Center at the TGH Cancer Institute will launch in the summer of 2023. It will offer evidence-based, multidisciplinary radiation therapies such as HDR Brachytherapy, TomoTherapy^® and the TrueBeam™ system. Future treatment options will include the CyberKnife System^® — a noninvasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors and other conditions where radiation therapy is indicated. This system can be used to treat conditions throughout the body and can be an alternative to surgery or for patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors.

"Adopting the latest technology allows us to treat the most difficult cancer cases," said Dr. Richard Tuli, professor and chair of Radiation Oncology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and deputy director of the TGH Cancer Institute. "Tampa General will continue to strive to implement top-of-the-line technology and ensure that patients have access to the most quality treatment options."

Both expansions are the product of a greater effort to develop a world-class cancer center at Tampa General. "The addition of a new infusion center and a radiation oncology center elevates our already sophisticated standard of care at the TGH Cancer Institute," said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, senior vice president and chief of the TGH Cancer Institute. "It furthers our commitment to drive innovation to provide world-class care for cancer patients and their families."

Building on the achievements of the Tampa General Hospital oncology program — rated among the top 10 percent for cancer care in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report's 2022-2023 rankings —the new TGH Cancer Institute provides comprehensive care via groundbreaking therapies and advanced diagnostic imaging tools. Through the TGH Cancer Institute, the academic medical center's cancer physicians will offer a highly coordinated range of multidisciplinary specialties such as hematologic malignancies, stem cell and cellular therapies, neuro-oncology, thoracic, breast, colorectal, urologic, and gynecologic oncology.

The Brandon Healthplex and the TGH Cancer Institute are at 10740 Palm River Road, Tampa, near the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway and Interstate 75. For more information, visit the TGH Cancer Institute.

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Senior Communications Strategist
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