UF Begins Construction on $388-Million Cancer Hospital

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Florida
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<p>UF & Shands HealthCare leaders today initiated a $388-million investment to bring state-of-the-art cancer treatments to North Central Florida. Wielding silver shovels, representatives from the University of Florida and other supporters joined them in breaking ground on the Shands at UF Cancer Hospital. The 500,000 square-foot facility will house 192 private inpatient beds for a variety of patients, including those receiving diagnostic and therapeutic oncology services. It also will include a Critical Care Center for emergency- and trauma-related services. "We are very excited about getting started on a cancer hospital that will provide the latest treatments and the best available care to patients," said UF President Bernie Machen. "We believe this hospital will also help us attract top physicians and research faculty members to the University of Florida. The result will benefit healthcare and the economy, not only regionally and statewide but also nationally."</p>

<p>Shands designed the cancer hospital complex to be a welcoming, family friendly place. It will offer a healing garden, a cancer patient resource center, training rooms and a conference center with public space for community health fairs, screenings and educational workshops on health issues such as cancer prevention and treatment.</p>

<p>In 1998, Shands at UF Cancer Hospital campaign co-Chair Jerry Davis donated $5 million matched by the state to endow the UF Shands Cancer Center, which encompasses the oncology-related research and clinical services located on the UF Health Science Center campuses at Shands at UF and Shands Jacksonville medical centers. That was before Davis knew what a direct effect cancer would have on his life. Nearly a decade later, his wife, Judith is a breast cancer survivor, and he is in his fourth battle with cancer. They are ardent supporters of the Shands at UF Cancer Hospital.</p>

<p>"We need a facility where those battling cancer can find most of the services they need under one roof in a patient-friendly environment," Davis said. "This hospital will allow medical teams to provide their patients with a more targeted response and develop improved technologies for diagnosing and treating cancer-related illnesses."</p>

<p>Davis M. Rembert, Jr., who co-chairs the hospital's fundraising campaign with Davis, said he has always had an interest in Shands. He grew up next door to State Senator William A. Shands, who was instrumental in funding the original teaching hospital and for whom it is named. Rembert said the new facility raises the hopes of what Shands and UF can accomplish. </p>

<p>"I am proud to live in a community that boasts such an excellent healthcare system. As the number of cancer patients coming to Shands at UF has steadily increased, so has the number and types of therapies we offer," Rembert said. "I hope this latest venture will not only inspire better treatments, but spearhead our drive toward finding a cure for cancer."</p>

<p>The UF Shands Cancer Center team is in pursuit of accreditation from the National Cancer Institute. There are 65 NCI-accredited cancer centers in the United States. The UF and Shands HealthCare program would be the second NCI-designated program in Florida and make UF and Shands members of an elite group of medical institutions in the country.</p>

<p>"One of the advantages of a cancer center is multi-disciplinary care. It brings everything under one roof," said Edward M. Copeland, MD, UF College of Medicine professor of surgical oncology and first director of the UF Shands Cancer Center. "As we've seen from other first-class facilities, there is great value in gathering all the people together who share a common focus on the same disease. This new institution, the Shands at UF Cancer Hospital, is destined to become one of the heavy-hitters in cancer care."</p>

<p>Shands is building the hospital in response to increased demand for cancer services. One out of every seven adults hospitalized at Shands at UF each year is treated for cancer or cancer-related ailments. According to the American Cancer Society, Florida had more than 99,000 new cases of cancer in 2006. California was the only state with a higher occurrence. </p>

<p>Shands awarded the construction contract to Skanska USA Building, Inc. The Shands at UF Cancer Hospital will be the largest project Skanska is working on in Florida.</p>

<p>"Today represents a milestone in cancer care, and we are honored to have the opportunity to contribute to this important healthcare facility," said Fred Hames, senior vice president and account manager of Skanska's Tampa office.</p>

<p>Construction on the hospital is scheduled for completion in 2009.</p>

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<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla.?Shands HealthCare has received a $1-million gift from Marshall and Paula Criser to support the Shands at the University of Florida Cancer Hospital, a new $388-million facility currently under construction and due for completion in 2009. </p>

<p>Former UF president Marshall Criser led the university from 1984 to 1989, during which time he also was president of the board of directors for Shands HealthCare, the not-for-profit health system affiliated with UF. He served as a Shands board member again from 1996 to 2001.</p>

<p>?We?re honored that Marshall and Paula are continuing their legacy of support for our health system,? said Shands HealthCare CEO Tim Goldfarb. ?Their generosity demonstrates their commitment to positively impacting quality of life for thousands of people throughout the region. Their gift is a catalyst for other donors to support this project, which will serve generations to come.?</p>

<p>The gift to the cancer hospital will create the Marshall and Paula Criser Cancer Resource Center. </p>

<p>The Crisers, who reside in Gainesville, are the distinguished honorary chairs for the statewide giving campaign for the Shands at UF Cancer Hospital. They will travel throughout Florida to link with potential donors. </p>

<p>UF President Bernie Machen said, "Marshall has given so much to the university over the years ? his time, his talent, his effort ? and this wonderful gift from Marshall and Paula is just another example of their tremendous generosity. They're great Gators.?</p>

<p>Marshall Criser, who earned business and law degrees from UF and has held numerous leadership roles in law and education throughout his career, was named UF president emeritus in 1990. He said that the pledge supports the couple?s long-term commitment to healthcare and especially to making cancer services available to meet the state?s growing demand.</p>

<p>"It is very clear to us that the ever-increasing population of Florida requires an additional National Cancer Institute-designated, level-one comprehensive cancer center," he said. "The completion of the Shands at UF Cancer Hospital is a prerequisite to that achievement becoming a reality."</p>

<p>The U.S. National Institutes of Health NCI Cancer Centers Program supports major academic and research institutions throughout the nation to sustain broad-based, interdisciplinary programs in cancer research. </p>

<p>Shands and UF will co-locate comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic oncology services and clinical experts in the state-of-the-art, 500,000-square-foot academic medical center. The Shands at UF Cancer Hospital will house 192 private inpatient beds for a variety of patients and will also include a Critical Care Center for emergency- and trauma-related services. </p>

<p>?UF and Shands exert a powerful impact on the region with our combined research, educational and clinical efforts,? Goldfarb said. ?The cancer hospital will allow us to expand services and make them more accessible to the families in need who come to us from throughout the U.S. and entrust us with their care.? </p>

<p>UF and Shands have a proven track record of bringing scientific discoveries to patients throughout the health system, which includes eight hospitals and more than 80 outpatient clinics. UF faculty physicians and Shands medical teams have a history of pioneering research in cancer treatment, resulting in new technologies, many of which are now industry standard worldwide.</p>

<p>One out of every seven adults hospitalized at Shands at UF each year is treated for cancer or cancer-related ailments. According to the American Cancer Society, Florida had more than 99,000 new cases of cancer in 2006, making California the only state that had a higher occurrence. And, in North Central Florida alone, there are at least 4,500 new cases of cancer each year among residents. </p>

<p>Goldfarb said, ?The cancer hospital is a significant step forward to strengthen our already well-respected and successful oncology programs. It will support the health system?s ability to generate funding for research, improve the quality and quantity of available medical services to help more people and, ultimately, work to find a cure for cancer.? </p>

<p><a href="http://www.uff.ufl.edu/News/PressRelease.asp?Story=87%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.uff.ufl.edu/News/PressRelease.asp?Story=87&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Great info on the Cancer Hospital.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.shands.org/public/growth/sufcancerhosp.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.shands.org/public/growth/sufcancerhosp.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>