Hospital system moves forward on large cancer center projects

Preliminary site and design plans for a pair of outpatient oncology facilities being built by the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System are set to move forward following approval from the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board. 

One building, a six-story 150,000-square-foot cancer outpatient pavilion, will be an addition to the Sarasota main campus. The other building, a two-story, 50,000-square-foot cancer center, will be added to the Venice campus. This is the next step of expanding the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, which is a comprehensive cancer program SMH began working on in 2018, according to a statement. The program is designed to provide the latest treatments, technologies, support services and clinical trials. 

The cancer pavilion is expected to be built across the street from the new oncology tower and will offer outpatient surgery suites, radiation and infusion services, diagnostic services, integrative and supportive care, and administrative and clinic space for physicians, counselors and navigators who provide coordinated care for patients and families. The cancer center in Venice will offer radiation oncology, advanced diagnostic imaging, infusion services, supportive care and medical office space.

Officials expect the preliminary design work to take about six to eight months, according to a press release. Construction could begin late next year, pending further approval and funding by the board. 

“Cancer care is far more than facilities, treatments and technology,” David Verinder, SMH president and CEO says in the release. “It takes tremendous coordination and collaboration across multiple subspecialties and disciplines to accurately diagnose and develop targeted treatments. That’s where a comprehensive cancer center like Sarasota Memorial’s Jellison Cancer Institute can really make a difference.”

Verinder expects the need for outpatient oncology services to grow significantly in the area. The statement notes that the SMH cancer team held 176 multidisciplinary cancer conferences last year where more than 1,300 patient cases were reviewed by physician specialists to ensure patients received optimal treatment plans specific to their cancer.  

SMH opened the new outpatient Radiation Oncology Center at the University Parkway campus in 2020. The eight-story oncology tower is slated to open sometime this fall at the hospital’s Sarasota campus.