TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BayCare today announced the groundbreaking of construction on the first proton therapy center to open in the Tampa Bay area at the BayCare Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital, bringing technologically advanced treatment closer to home for cancer patients.
The proton therapy center at St. Joseph’s Hospital is expected to treat the first patients in 2025. A groundbreaking ceremony held with BayCare leaders, local providers, community members and special guests commemorated the occasion.
“We are the best place to work, practice and receive care, enabling us to continue to fulfill our vision and our mission,” said BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners. “Innovative technologies like proton therapy are why we continue to be the No. 1 health system and provider of choice in the Tampa Bay region.”
BayCare can offer this new advanced therapy to patients on an expedited timeline due to the development of new technology that is smaller in size and can easily integrate to existing infrastructures. The new technology, in development from Mevion Medical Systems, empowers the most compact proton therapy system, combining high-precision modern radiation delivery techniques with an upright patient positioning system designed to improve comfort.
Proton therapy delivers radiation treatments to cancerous tumors, using protons instead of X-rays to better target cancer and reduce the amount of radiation exposure to healthy tissue. As a result, patients report few side effects and have a lower risk of secondary malignancies.
“Our mission is to provide superior proton therapy to as many cancer patients as possible. That mission is only achieved through partnerships like BayCare and Mevion,” said Mevion Chief Operating Officer Curt Kienast. “This partnership will lead to the first of its kind proton therapy center opening in the Tampa Bay Area.”
The $33 million investment will be located in St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Fred J. Woods Radiation Therapy Center. The system at St. Joseph’s will be an advancement to optimize cancer treatment services across all of BayCare, including the other accredited radiation oncology programs at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, and Winter Haven Hospital in Winter Haven.
For more information: BayCare Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Fred J. Woods Radiation Therapy Center.
About St. Joseph’s Hospital
St. Joseph’s Hospital, part of the BayCare Health System, is known for advanced medical technology and compassionate care. Its Centers of Excellence include the Heart and Vascular Institute, Cancer Institute, Stroke and Neuroscience Program, Robotic Surgery Program and Emergency/Trauma Department, which provides more emergency care than any other hospital in Tampa Bay. More than 70 specialties are represented among the medical team, including internal medicine, cardiovascular surgery and neurosurgery. The hospital was founded in 1934 by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. The 615-bed hospital is located at 3001 West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Tampa, Florida. For more information: BayCare.org/SJH.
About BayCare
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida’s largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare’s diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida’s largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare’s mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information visit BayCare.org. 
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SOURCE St. Joseph’s Hospital
