In a few short months, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) will open its new cancer facility in an effort continue with the organization’s mission.
“Our primary mission is to deliver the best possible cancer care in the community,” said Dr. Lucio Gordan, an award winning hematologist and oncologist with FCS. “Having a big facility with a multidisciplinary focus will help us achieve this goal.”
The new facility, expected to open by May 2016, will be located next to the cancer center at North Florida Regional Medical Center, or NFRMC. FCS and NFRMC have always worked in close proximity to maintain a tight, long-lasting relationship.
“We will continue to be close partners with NFRMC and help serve the community in terms of cancer care, treatment and diagnosis,” Gordan said.
Although the current FCS facility also sits on the NFRMC campus, it lacks many of the benefits the new facility will provide. The main benefit of the new cancer center is its size — more than double the square footage. The increase from 14,000 square feet to 32,000 square feet will greatly improve FCS’s ability to treat as many patients as possible.
“We aim to bring world-class medicine to patients but also keep them in the community that they live,” said Brad Prechtl, the CEO of FCS. “By continuing to invest in that market and more than doubling the size of the facility, it allows us to offer patients the most cutting-edge treatments that are available without them having to travel to other areas.”
The new cancer center will better serve patients with its many technological advancements and increased size. The number of exam rooms will increase from 16 to 32, the number of chemotherapy chairs will increase from 35 to 70 and the overall environment will be much more welcoming.
“We have focused a lot of attention to color schemes and comfort for patients and their caregivers,” Prechtl said. “We’re trying to make it a more friendly and inviting environment.”
With a location adjacent to the hospital, the new facility will integrate a wide range of medical services. Patients will have access to state-of-the-art imaging, radiation treatment, clinical trials and much more. The center will also feature an acupuncture center, patient library and speech pathology lab.
“Patients with cancer usually need several professionals to take care of them, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, social workers, oncology nurses and so forth,” Gordan said. “Having different specialties will integrate their care instead of having patients going to several different places.”
The practice of integrated services attempts to make the treatment process as simple as possible for cancer patients. The fight against cancer is a long, trying battle, and the medical team at FCS hopes to make it just a little bit easier.
“The new facility will be more comfortable, appropriate for care and provide more space for family members,” Gordan said. “It will allow us to expand the number of patients we are seeing and better coordinate the care of other professionals under the same roof.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SOPHIA KARNEGIS is a third-year public relations student at the University of Florida. She currently works as an intern at Advantage Publishing and enjoys learning the ins and outs of the editorial process. In her free time, she reminisces about her home in Miami and the love she left behind – a black and white miniature schnauzer named Oreo.