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Construction Funded Primarily by $21 Million Grant From West Orange Healthcare District

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Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center - Health Central Hospital is opening its doors and bringing cutting-edge cancer treatment to the residents of West Orange County.

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The new $28 million facility, funded primarily by a $21 million grant from the West Orange Healthcare District (the District), will offer expanded chemotherapy and radiation treatment areas, medical oncology services, surgical oncology consultations, laboratory facilities, and Cancer Support Community programs. At 30,000 square feet, it almost doubles the size of the existing facility located near the Orlando Health Health Central Hospital campus.

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Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center - Health Central Hospital will be the first in Central Florida and one of only six facilities in the country to treat cancer with MRI-guided radiotherapy. The cancer-fighting technology is called MRIdian® and allows specialists to track and adjust its radiation beam to any subtle changes in the tumor and surrounding tissue during treatment. As a result, cancer patients benefit from truly personalized radiation therapy while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding tissue.

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"This new facility is greatly needed and there's no better place for it than right here on this campus, in this community, where families in West Orange County live, work, and play," said Mark Roh, M.D., president of Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center. "In fact, evidence proves that patients battling cancer have better results when they are treated closer to home."

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The Cancer Center is part of a $100-million expansion currently underway to bring much-needed healthcare services to West Orange County. It includes $75 million in funding from the District for the Cancer Center ($21 million), a 100-bed skilled nursing facility currently under construction on the Health Central Hospital campus ($24.5 million), and a new freestanding emergency department and medical pavilion scheduled to open soon in the rapidly-growing Horizon West community ($29.7 million).

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"These three projects are all part of our original vision," said West Orange Healthcare District Board Chair Norma Sutton. "They help us boost access to healthcare, deliver the latest medical technologies and attract top-notch physicians to our community. We're excited to be able to expedite these new facilities with our funding support."

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Mark Marsh, president of Health Central Hospital, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony welcoming the community to the new Cancer Center, saying "Orlando Health is extremely pleased and thankful for the West Orange Healthcare District's support and collaboration. Together, we're ensuring that West Orange County residents will be able to access more world-class healthcare services in their communities, close to home."

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He was joined by leadership from both Orlando Health and West Orange Healthcare District as hundreds of Orlando Health team members, doctors, and residents helped celebrate and welcome the new facility into their neighborhood.