Tampa General Hospital, Cancer Center of South Florida Form New Alliance to Provide World-Class Care in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast

Tampa, FL - May 28, 2020 - Tampa General Hospital and the Cancer Center of South Florida have formed a new alliance, enabling cancer patients in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast to receive the world-class care and complex services that a major academic medical center provides right in their own backyard.

The Cancer Center of South Florida's two locations in Palm Beach County will become the Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute, marking the first time that Tampa General, nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report and one of Florida's leading, academic medical centers, has opened a location on the East Coast of Florida. Tampa General's expansion plans across the state will continue as the institute builds relationships with additional local physicians in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, aggregating more specialists into the Tampa General network to provide comprehensive treatment options across multiple specialties.

Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast residents can now receive world-class cancer treatment and services provided by a leading, academic medical center paired with hometown convenience.

Tampa General surgical oncologists and specialists will work in collaboration with local physicians to provide the most comprehensive treatment options in a seamless, coordinated manner. Cancer specialists will travel to Palm Beach County to consult with local patients, working closely with their referring physicians to create a comprehensive treatment plan.

Patients will be able to receive case evaluations from multidisciplinary panels of TGH experts, participate in a broader array of cutting-edge clinical trials, and benefit from new services such as palliative care and genetic counseling. And those patients who need complex, specialized surgeries will have a new option right here in Florida; they'll benefit from a convenient, streamlined process to have surgeries in Tampa with pre- and post-surgery care performed in Palm Beach County.

These patients will benefit from a hybrid model that allows them to have pre- and post-surgery care in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. Nurse navigators with specialized cancer expertise will coordinate their visit to Tampa for surgery with specialists who are leaders in their respective fields. Patient ambassadors will help coordinate travel and accommodations.

We're excited to provide enhanced world-class cancer care that residents in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast can access close to home, said John Couris, Tampa General's president and CEO. Our specialists will serve as an extension of the great health care that exists in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast today. Our team of specialists, combined with the high caliber of local care, will allow residents across Florida to be able to receive the highest quality of care with the latest technologies and treatments, including extensive clinical trial opportunities.

Current patients can still receive care and treatment planning from CCSF's current skilled and compassionate providers, who all trained or taught at top-tier medical programs such as Harvard University. Patients will now be able to receive palliative care consultations that offer a holistic approach to care, offering patients resources to help with pain management, nutrition, mental health, and other issues. They also can receive chemotherapy, radiation, and other care in Palm Beach County.

CCSF is excited that this new agreement brings our patients expanded access to the very best cancer treatment options, as we continue our tradition of providing care that is tailored for each patient one patient at a time, said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, chief of oncology at CCSF and senior vice president for Oncology Services and Network Development at Tampa General.

New services that patients can benefit from include:

• Access to a broader variety of clinical research trials, offering the newest treatments in cancer care
  
• Enhanced personal oncology treatment plans
  
• Access to complex, minimally invasive surgical management
  
• Innovative personalized medicine
  
• Advanced immunotherapy treatment options
  
• Expertise in rare cancers requiring complex surgeries

Patients can make appointments at the new Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute locations in Palm Beach County by contacting 561-253-3980.