PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Sacred Heart Hospital has begun the first phase of  construction of a $31.5 million Cancer Center that will provide the most advanced cancer treatment to patients in Northwest Florida.

The new 90,000 square-foot center will be built on the west side of the Sacred Heart Medical Park at Airport Boulevard and College Parkway in Pensacola. Construction of the new Sacred Heart Cancer Center is scheduled for completion in late November 2009.  Construction crews have dug up some of the parking area next to Sacred Heart's facility on Airport Boulevard to make room for the Cancer Center.

 "Our vision is to be the region's premier cancer center. The facility will combine excellent diagnostic and treatment technology, great doctors and staff, a healing environment, and individualized patient care supported by the latest knowledge and research," said Patrick Madden, president and CEO of Sacred Heart.

The new facility will consolidate and expand Sacred Heart's cancer services. Those services include radiation and medical oncology, outpatient chemotherapy, lab and pharmacy services, patient education and support services, and cancer research staff. 

Sacred Heart Hospital is affiliated with M. D. Anderson Physicians Network®.  As a result of this affiliation, Sacred Heart cancer patients can gain access to the latest clinical care guidelines and quality initiatives developed by teams of specialists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, the nation's leader in cancer care. The guidelines are founded upon research to determine the best known outcomes for patients receiving cancer treatment.
Experts at M. D. Anderson regularly communicate with Sacred Heart physicians via teleconferences where they discuss the cases of individual patients and share knowledge based on research.  Physicians Network also provides Sacred Heart with ongoing rigorous review of its standards and practices.

For more information, call 1-877-904-HOPE or visit www.sacred-heart.org. 

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