Tampa General Hospital opens outpatient infusion center

Tampa General Hospital opened a new 26-bay Infusion Center in the TGH Cancer Institute's Brandon location Wednesday.

In its efforts to expand cancer care for the rapidly growing communities of south Hillsborough County, a new Radiation Oncology Center will open at the Brandon location on Palm River Road later this year.

Hospital officials cut a ceremonial ribbon on Wednesday and welcomed the press and visitors to the Brandon clinic, part of TGH's extensive network that includes 120 clinics. Officials showed reporters the new bays for outpatient treatment. Part of the center has been operational for a month, according to hospitals officials.

The new infusion center is part of TGH's $550 million Master Facilities Plan, which Stacey Brandt, chief strategy officer, says will pump $1 billion into the Tampa Bay economy and support 6,000 jobs. The expansion of facilities is the largest in the private, non-profit hospital's 100-year history.

"Our new TGH Cancer Institute location allows us to expand our reach and provide greater access to our community," says John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, in a statement. "By collaborating with some of the nation’s preeminent physicians and researchers, we established a leading-edge, research-driven Cancer Institute."

Hospital officials say the Brandon clinic will mean south Hillsborough residents no longer have to travel to the Tampa General Hospital campus near downtown Tampa for infusion treatments, radiation oncology and doctor visits. Located in the outpatient center, patients will also receive lab work and imaging exams and can visit the pharmacy for prescriptions and other medications.

The addition to the TGH Cancer Institute's Infusion Center will offer seven more chemotherapy areas for the treatment of cancer. This will bring the total number of infusion areas to 26, which is expected to make scheduling treatments more efficient, hospital officials say. Patients can receive treatments ordered by their doctor including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, blood transfusions and more.

Kelly Cullen, TGH chief operating officer, says the Brandon clinic has the latest technology to fight cancer, including the "CyberKnife," a robotic radiotherapy device. Other new methods include high-dose-rate brachytherapy, a targeted radiation treatment that provides higher doses while preserving the surrounding tissue or skin, hospital officials say.

"This TGH Radiation Oncology Center is a testament to the TGH Cancer Institute's commitment to providing world-class care to our community," says Dr. Richard Tuli, professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, deputy director of the TGH Cancer Institute, and director of Radiation Oncology at Tampa General Hospital.

The Brandon infusion center will be open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.