Moffitt Cancer Center has acquired 9 acres in Ruskin, offering access to thousands more patients in need of cancer treatment. The new facility will be located at the southeast intersection of East College Avenue and 27th Street South in Ruskin, less than a mile from Interstate 75.
Moffitt plans to build a 75,000-square-foot facility, with construction starting in early 2023 and to be completed by late 2024. The 2-story facility will employ cutting-edge technology that covers the gamut of cancer treatment options, including screening and diagnostics, radiation oncology, biopsies, medical oncology, infusion, clinical trials and a pharmacy. Moffitt is expecting to serve nearly 9,000 patients by year four and create 150 jobs by year five.
Included in the new building will be 18 clinical examination rooms, 20 infusion bays (four private) and 10 blood draw labs. The radiation oncology department will offer four exam rooms, along with two linear accelerator devices (LINACs) and a CT simulator to provide optimum setup accuracy for patients who will be receiving radiation therapy. A LINAC delivers high-energy X-rays or electrons to the region of the patient’s tumor.
The radiology department will have four CTs, four MRIs, two mammography machines, one DEXA machine to measure bone density and one X-ray. Additionally, nuclear medical treatment will be offered at the facility with a nuclear camera, also referred to a gamma camera, available on-site. Patients are injected with a gamma-ray-emitting substance that accumulates in the organ of interest, and a special camera records the gamma rays. It differs from a CT scan, which is usually a series of X-rays taken from different directions that are then assembled into a three-dimensional model of the subject in a computer.
“Moffitt is building incredible momentum to expand our footprint and bring cancer care closer to where our patients live,” said Dr. Patrick Hwu, president and CEO of Moffitt, when asked about the new Ruskin location.
With locations at the University of South Florida, Wesley Chapel, International Plaza and Fowler Avenue, a presence in Southeastern Hillsborough County will allow local residents the care provided by Moffitt without the hassle associated with the trip to other campuses, as some patients require daily treatment.
Moffitt is also developing 775 acres in Pasco County, the largest expansion in the cancer center’s history. The new life sciences innovation district will serve as a hub for research, digital innovation, education and patient care. The multiyear, multiphase project will include about 16 million square feet of research lab, light industrial and manufacturing, general office and clinical building space.
For more information, reach Steve Blanchard, Moffitt’s public relations account coordinator, at steve.blanchard@moffitt.org.
