Moffitt Cancer Clinic Opens Near International Plaza

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center is expanding its services close to Tampa International Airport.

By opening the doors to a new International Plaza facility at 4101 Jim Walter Blvd. on July 1, Moffitt is more than tripling the space of its previous Tampa General Hospital facility -- from 13,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. Moffitt at International Plaza will change the way Tampa Bay residents receive cancer care.

"We want to maintain our presence in the South Tampa area, but also want to be more accessible to Pinellas County, southern Hillsborough County and even southern Pasco County, where residents can get right on the Veterans Expressway and come down to the new center," says Nancy Ziel, director of satellite operations at Moffitt. "I think the convenient location, as well as the fact that they now have exceptional cancer care right in their neighborhood is the biggest benefit to residents."

The $22 million renovation project created more than 200 construction jobs and included all of the new equipment in the facility, both transferring and expanding current services; imaging services including 4D PET/CT images, MRI scans and chest X-rays are now offered. Moffitt at International Plaza will also expand the center's infusion services and exam areas with 24 private chemotherapy bays, 18 exam rooms and four consult rooms.

"At the new facility, we've really streamlined the operational issues related to patient experiences," says Ziel. "Before opening, we looked at things on the main campus that we wanted to do or wished we could do, but space limitations made them a challenge."

According to Ziel, one of those services is the new centralized electronic self-registration process. Patients are now able to walk through the door and simply register one time, regardless of the amount of appointments in a day.

"Most of our patients have multiple appointments, but now, the first time they register, they never have to go back to a live person [as far as registration goes]," says Ziel.

The new clinic facilities center employs about 80 caregivers compared to 35 at the old center; plans call for staff increasing to about 100 employees within the next five years.

"We really needed the room to be able to grow and expand," says Ziel.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Nancy Ziel, Moffitt Cancer Center