Cancer treatment center planned for southern Hillsborough County
RUSKIN — Moffitt Cancer Center said Wednesday it plans to build a treatment facility in southern Hillsborough County.
Moffitt aims to buy about nine acres of land in Ruskin to build a 75,000-square-foot facility just west of Interstate 75, and the deal is expected to be completed by November, according to the nonprofit. The land also must be rezoned.
“A price has not been confirmed yet,” said Moffitt spokesperson Patty Kim.
The outpatient center would offer cancer screenings, advanced imaging, clinical lab services, blood draws, biopsies, infusions and medical and radiation oncology, among other services.
The center would be located at the southeastern corner of the East College Avenue-27th Street SE intersection, according to a Wednesday news release.
Construction is slated to begin early next year and finish in late 2024, according to Moffitt.
The center would create 150 jobs over four years, Kim said. The facility is expected to serve 3,500 patients in its first year of operation, she said. By year four, it expects to serve nearly 9,000 every year.
“Moffitt is building incredible momentum to expand our footprint and bring cancer care closer to where our patients live,” said Patrick Hwu, president and CEO of Moffitt, in a news release. “We are laser-focused on future expansions that will allow us to create a Moffitt health system to address the growing cancer burden in the state of Florida.”
Moffitt, a nonprofit with more than 7,800 employees, also is expanding in Pasco County with the new H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute campus, which will be located on 775 acres east of the Suncoast Parkway and south of State Road 52.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch last week rejected plans for a new Moffitt cancer treatment center, residences and a hotel in the city-owned 800 block of 1st Avenue S because he said the project didn’t include enough affordable housing.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Florida behind heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
