Moffitt to open outpatient cancer center at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel

AdventHealth and the Moffitt Cancer Center are teaming up to build a new outpatient center for cancer patients in Pasco County.

The two hospital systems broke ground Tuesday on a 100,000-square-foot, three-story medical office complex on the AdventHealth Wesley Chapel hospital campus that is scheduled to open late next year.

Around 28,000 square feet of space will become a Moffitt-designated cancer outpatient center, where Moffitt physicians will treat patients with chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy, as well as perform screening exams and conduct clinical trials. AdventHealth will use the rest of the building's space for other physician services.

"The new building will mirror the medical office building that already sits on our campus," said Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and CEO of the AdventHealth Wesley Chapel hospital. "The goal is to make cancer care as convenient as possible. Patients will have good access to imaging and laboratory services since the outpatient center will be part of our hospital campus."

RELATED: Convenience, perks and a little sizzle are drawing some women to the doctor's office

This isn't the first time Moffitt, based on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa, has partnered with another hospital system to further its reach. Moffitt has run a blood and marrow transplant operation at Memorial Health System in South Florida for the past two years. Moffitt also has a radiation services program at BayCare's Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater.

"This area is seeing rapid growth, the population is exploding," said Dr. Louis Harrison, the chief partnership officer for Moffitt. "There is a need for this community to have world-class cancer care. The fact that AdventHealth is already here is very helpful. We don't want to open a cancer center in a vacuum, but with a hospital that's already offering other services."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: At Moffitt, a push to ease cancer's toll in the workplace

Last year, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel opened a women's clinic called Inspiration Place in an adjacent medical building on its hospital campus. Patients can see a range of specialists, from a physical therapist to a urologist, and get any imaging or blood work done the same day at the clinic. The new medical building with the Moffitt outpatient center will expand the list of services offered to patients in this area.

AdventHealth owns two other hospitals in Pasco County: AdventHealth Zephyrhills and Dade City.

Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8467. Follow @SunBizGriffin.