Construction continues on the new four-story cancer center on the campus of Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.

Construction of a four-story, 95,430-square-foot addition that will house many Sacred Heart cancer services under one roof is moving toward completion on the Sacred Heart Hospital campus in Pensacola. Located at the corner of Airport Boulevard and College Parkway, Sacred Heart’s new cancer center is on track for opening in February 2010.  

 “The construction site of Sacred Heart’s new Cancer Center is exploding with activity,” says Terri Smith, vice president of cancer services.  “Once finished, our new Cancer Center will be a premier, one-of-a-kind cancer-care facility for patients, their families, physicians and other healthcare professionals.”

During the first quarter of 2010, Sacred Heart Medical Oncology Group (SHMOG) physicians Drs. Thomas Sunnenberg, Tarek Eldawy, Dee McLeod and James Watkins will move their offices to the new building, along with Gulf Region Radiation Oncology Centers (GRROC) physicians Drs. Gerald Lowrey and Rod Krentel. The Trilogy Stereotactic System, currently in operation at SHHP, will be moved to the new facility beginning in December. The linear accelerator will be brought online in March. By March 2010, Sacred Heart’s new Cancer Center will house infusion and radiation oncology services, as well as offices of physicians, Cancer Services administration, patient support services, the cancer registry and cancer research staff.

To enhance the level of cancer care in Northwest Florida and Baldwin County, Ala., Sacred Heart Hospital formed an affiliation with M. D. Anderson Physicians Network®.Physicians Network is an affiliate of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, a research driven institute that is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the nation's top cancer treatment centers. Because of the excellent care that Sacred Heart and its physicians already provide, M. D. Anderson Physicians Network selected Sacred Heart as an ally in the fight against cancer.

As a result of this affiliation, Sacred Heart cancer patients are treated according to the latest clinical care guidelines developed by teams of specialists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Sacred Heart Cancer Center undergoes ongoing and rigorous review of its standards and practices to ensure it meets M.D. Anderson’s high standards of care.