Oncology (Cancer Care)

It provides patients with care, treatment, and education, the Regional Cancer Center was built in 2008; but as the population in Southwest Florida has grown, cancer diagnosis has gone up, creating a need for more space. “Cancer care is really a team sport, so this building really helps us bring in more people more services together to benefit our patients. 50 percent of what’s in here are services that we already had that we just needed a better location for,” said Dennis Bruens, vice president of oncology and palliative care. Bruens takes us behind the scenes of the expansion to explain how the new space benefits the patients and care team. “We have our rehab gym, and the reason we left it open to the lobby is so when people walk in here they can actually see people getting better from cancer,” he explained. Research shows starting therapy early can help patients get back to their normal life quickly. Downstairs therapists can work with patients on speech, physical therapy, and lymphedema treatment. Right across the hall, physicians have access to a data center, which documents all of Southwest Florida cancer statistics. “This makes sure that we get the comprehensive picture of how they were diagnosed, what their diagnosis was, and what their treatment was, and the outcome,” said Bruens. Just down the hall is palliative care. A specialty that works alongside physicians and patients to make sure patients are comfortable during their cancer journey. “On the second floor of the expansion is really physician offices, so we have three physician offices up here,” he said. The new facility is an extension to help patients understand their cancer plan while letting them focus on getting stronger.