Orlando Health breaks ground on new UF Health Cancer Center in Ocoee

OCOEE  Ocoee’s Health Central Hospital campus is set to expand again, as Orlando Health officials broke ground Wednesday on what will become a new cancer center.

The new Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center in Ocoee, at 30,000 square feet, will nearly double the size of the existing cancer center across the street. It is part of a $100-million project, $75 million of which is funded by the West Orange Healthcare District, according to a press release.

The goal of bringing the facility to Ocoee is both to help transform Health Central into a destination medical campus and to bring important health care services right to the community, the release states. Health care officials met the five-year capacity of the existing cancer center just two years after opening the doors in 2012. 

“Unfortunately cancer continues to be one of the top killers nationally, across the state, as well as right here at home,” Orlando Health President and CEO David Strong said during the groundbreaking ceremony at Health Central on Wednesday, June 28. “Last year over 1,700 people just in Orange County passed away due to cancer.”

Orlando Health leaders emphasized the importance of convenience and accessibility to necessary medical services and treatments for patients, as well as support for their families.

“To me there are three things that are really essential when you battle cancer, whether you’re the patient or a family member,” Strong said. “One is high technology — you want the latest technology, you want access to trials. Another is great compassion and staff that care about you. The final is convenience. When you’re sick, you don’t want to have to travel. …The wonderful news is that this facility will have all three of those.”

The new cancer center “will feature expanded chemotherapy and radiation treatment areas, medical oncology services, surgical oncology consultations, laboratory facilities and cancer support community programs,” the release states. Physicians and health care officials also hope to provide psychosocial therapy, nutritional counseling, some pharmaceutical services and complementary and alternative medicine, such as acupuncture and Tai chi.

Also announced Wednesday was the addition of a new cancer-fighting technology called MRIdian, from ViewRay technology. The technology offers a way for physicians to directly view and track the tumor during treatment, using simultaneous radiation therapy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

“This has been a dream of West Orange County residents for so long, and it’s finally coming to fruition,” said Tim Keating, vice chairman of the West Orange Healthcare District. “…This is a terrific partnership and we’re delighted to be a part of this milestone event today. …What we like most about this project is that it brings leading-edge cancer expertise right to our doorstep. With the arrival of (the new) UF Health Cancer Center, our residents will not only have better access to diagnosis and treatment, they will have the highest level of care.”

The new cancer center is expected to be complete in late summer 2018.

“The last couple of years I’ve been with the city of Ocoee it’s really been an amazing thing to watch what’s happening in the area,” said Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson. “One of the things I’m most proud of is this hospital and what it’s done for the community. …Our community is growing in leaps and bounds, and so is the need for advanced health care. Projects like this make our community one of the most desirable anywhere in Central Florida.”

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].