"We will be elevating cancer care here. We’re already very well known for our comprehensive cancer services and our good outcomes, and now we will be bringing the combination of a world-class facility, some technology that is not currently available, and academic partnerships for research, that will simply benefit everyone in South Florida."

 

The world-class facility is Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida, and Wayne Brackin, chief operating officer of Baptist Health, was referring to the impact it will have on the region. It will offer comprehensive services such as diagnostic imaging, infusion chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, and radiation therapies, among others.

 

Brackin explained that Baptist Health currently has a large and thriving oncology program, but it is scattered in multiple locations. "For example, we have radiation oncology in three locations, inpatient floors in two locations, cancer surgery and chemo are done in multiple locations. So while the quality and the outcomes are good, the program is not as coordinated as it could and ultimately should be. So we set out looking at what we could do, and that was the initial impetus of the project." 

 

Miami Cancer Institute will include proton therapy, which beams radiation directly to a tumor to destroy cancer cells while avoiding healthy tissue. Brackin said that particular technology is new for South Florida. "There are only a handful of these devices currently in the United States, and in Florida, the closest one is in Jacksonville. Many patients leave South Florida and travel to Jacksonville and other places in the country for that technology, so we believe there is a demand for it locally; and ultimately, a broader statewide and international patient market exists because Central and South America would be able to access this as the closest point, as we are the de facto capital of Latin America."

 

Medical personnel will be needed for the new Institute, and Brackin said staffing will be a combination of physicians already in place and new ones being sought. "We have, for example, the medical oncology group that is considered to be the premier group in South Florida, led by Dr. Lenny Kalman. They will be joining the Baptist Health Medical Group and will be the founding medical oncologists for the Cancer Institute." He mentioned other physicians who are also on staff, including those at the breast center, who are all well regarded surgeons and will be part of the new center.

 

Additionally, Brackin said as new programs are developed, "We will look to find the best physicians in the country that we can attract to Miami to be part of the Institute. I think this is a very attractive professional opportunity for physicians who are looking to create and establish programs and make their mark in cancer leadership. There are not very many cancer institutes currently being developed of this size and scope, so we’re getting a heavy amount of interest; the more it becomes nationally known, the more inquiries we get."

 

The company in charge of bringing the facility together is Robins & Morton, the construction management firm chosen by Baptist Health to handle the work. Bruce Adams, operations manager of Robins & Morton, said the firm responded to an RFP and was on the short list of final candidates. "I’m certain we were awarded the project because of our experience with those folks," he said. "We built the West Kendall Baptist Hospital, which was our first major project with Baptist Health, and we’re currently working at their Doctors Hospital campus in Coral Gables.

 

"A rapport has been developed. We understand what their expectations are and we’ve been able to deliver, and there’s been a lot of consistency with the teams we’ve given them over the years; so relationships have developed that make the whole process a lot easier for everybody. We are very fortunate to have been working with Baptist Health for many years, and we appreciate their confidence and trust in us to deliver."

 

Adams and his team will be working closely with Carlos Monteverde, corporate director of construction management for Baptist Health. Monteverde said he is pleased to be involved with Robins & Morton again. "We previously worked with them during construction of West Kendall Baptist Hospital, which they finished under budget and a couple of months ahead of schedule."

 

Miami Cancer Institute is expected to open in 2016. "Groundbreaking has taken place," Brackin said, "and we hope that approximately 24 months from now, we’ll have the first patients walking through the door." The first will certainly not be the last.

 

"We will be elevating cancer care here. We’re already very well known for our comprehensive cancer services and our good outcomes, and now we will be bringing the combination of a world-class facility, some technology that is not currently available, and academic partnerships for research, that will simply benefit everyone in South Florida."

 

The world-class facility is Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida, and Wayne Brackin, chief operating officer of Baptist Health, was referring to the impact it will have on the region. It will offer comprehensive services such as diagnostic imaging, infusion chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, and radiation therapies, among others.

 

Brackin explained that Baptist Health currently has a large and thriving oncology program, but it is scattered in multiple locations. "For example, we have radiation oncology in three locations, inpatient floors in two locations, cancer surgery and chemo are done in multiple locations. So while the quality and the outcomes are good, the program is not as coordinated as it could and ultimately should be. So we set out looking at what we could do, and that was the initial impetus of the project." 

 

Miami Cancer Institute will include proton therapy, which beams radiation directly to a tumor to destroy cancer cells while avoiding healthy tissue. Brackin said that particular technology is new for South Florida. "There are only a handful of these devices currently in the United States, and in Florida, the closest one is in Jacksonville. Many patients leave South Florida and travel to Jacksonville and other places in the country for that technology, so we believe there is a demand for it locally; and ultimately, a broader statewide and international patient market exists because Central and South America would be able to access this as the closest point, as we are the de facto capital of Latin America."

 

Medical personnel will be needed for the new Institute, and Brackin said staffing will be a combination of physicians already in place and new ones being sought. "We have, for example, the medical oncology group that is considered to be the premier group in South Florida, led by Dr. Lenny Kalman. They will be joining the Baptist Health Medical Group and will be the founding medical oncologists for the Cancer Institute." He mentioned other physicians who are also on staff, including those at the breast center, who are all well regarded surgeons and will be part of the new center.

 

Additionally, Brackin said as new programs are developed, "We will look to find the best physicians in the country that we can attract to Miami to be part of the Institute. I think this is a very attractive professional opportunity for physicians who are looking to create and establish programs and make their mark in cancer leadership. There are not very many cancer institutes currently being developed of this size and scope, so we’re getting a heavy amount of interest; the more it becomes nationally known, the more inquiries we get."

 

The company in charge of bringing the facility together is Robins & Morton, the construction management firm chosen by Baptist Health to handle the work. Bruce Adams, operations manager of Robins & Morton, said the firm responded to an RFP and was on the short list of final candidates. "I’m certain we were awarded the project because of our experience with those folks," he said. "We built the West Kendall Baptist Hospital, which was our first major project with Baptist Health, and we’re currently working at their Doctors Hospital campus in Coral Gables.

 

"A rapport has been developed. We understand what their expectations are and we’ve been able to deliver, and there’s been a lot of consistency with the teams we’ve given them over the years; so relationships have developed that make the whole process a lot easier for everybody. We are very fortunate to have been working with Baptist Health for many years, and we appreciate their confidence and trust in us to deliver."

 

Adams and his team will be working closely with Carlos Monteverde, corporate director of construction management for Baptist Health. Monteverde said he is pleased to be involved with Robins & Morton again. "We previously worked with them during construction of West Kendall Baptist Hospital, which they finished under budget and a couple of months ahead of schedule."

 

Miami Cancer Institute is expected to open in 2016. "Groundbreaking has taken place," Brackin said, "and we hope that approximately 24 months from now, we’ll have the first patients walking through the door." The first will certainly not be the last.