Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute broke ground Wednesday on a $10 million cancer facility in Ocala.
The 21,000-square-foot facility, which is scheduled to open in the fall of next year, will be located at SW 48th Ave, just off State Road 200. It will feature 17 exam rooms and 47 chairs in the infusion room.
The new FCS center also will be the region’s first and only comprehensive cancer center where a patient can receive a variety of services and treatments under one roof, including chemotherapy, radiation oncology, national clinical trials, radiology (PET/CT imaging), physician visits and laboratory services to provide unsurpassed convenience for cancer patients in Marion County, a news release said.
The Ocala center is being designed and built by Optimal Outcomes, a healthcare-specific real estate development firm in St. Petersburg with more than 40 years of experience. It will integrate evidence-based design to achieve functional and aesthetic outcomes that increase efficiencies for providers while also creating environments to enhance patient experiences and reduce stress, FCS officials said.
CEO Brad Prechtl said he’s thrilled to see the new location coming to reality.
“The new comprehensive cancer center is another example of our commitment to serving and supporting our patients in communities, both large and small, throughout Florida,” he said. “This facility will bring a wide range of treatments and services all under one roof, optimizing convenience for our patients in the Ocala community.”
Dr. William Harwin, founder and president of FCS, agreed.
“The new cancer center will be built with the patients in mind, ensuring that we continue to provide state-of-the-art technology,” he said. “We are committed to our local community by offering the best possible experience for our patients and staff.”
It’s a medical center that surely will make a difference in many lives, said Dr. Vipul Patel.
“This new facility will increase our ability to offer unique, multidisciplinary oncology treatments in a more comfortable and convenient setting so that we can deliver personalized cancer therapies and provide renewed hope to an even greater number of cancer patients,” Patel said.
also operates a comprehensive cancer center in The Villages that’s located in the Sharon L. Morse Medical Building. The health care provider replaced Moffitt Cancer Center in October 2015 through a contract with Central Florida Health, parent company of The Villages Regional Hospital and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.
FCS was founded in 1984 and is the largest independent medical oncology/hematology practice in the United States. The provider serves patients in The Villages, Orlando and surrounding Central Florida communities, on the Gulf Coast from Naples to the greater Tampa Bay area, north as far as Tallahassee and on the East Coast from Palm Beach County to the Jacksonville area. And it boasts more than 220 physicians, 180 nurse practitioners and physician assistants and nearly 100 locations in its network.
In the past three years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the United States were studied in clinical trials with FCS participation – one of the many reasons the provider was recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award.
