Florida Hospital Flagler Breaks Ground on Cancer Center Expansion

PALM COAST, Fla., July 13, 2016 On July 11, Florida Hospital Flagler broke ground on a $4.5 million construction project to expand its Cancer Center by 2,000 square feet and add a second linear accelerator for radiation oncology treatments.

We have been planning for this expansion for quite some time now and are very excited to have officially begun construction, said Kristie Reiner, Florida Hospital Flagler director of oncology operations. When complete, we will have two vaults for radiation treatments, expanding our ability to treat cancer patients in a quick, extremely safe and efficient manner to accommodate Flagler County's growing population.

The expansion will add a second treatment machine called a True Beam Radiotherapy System by Varian. Florida Hospital Flagler will be the only facility in Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns counties with this advanced True Beam technology.

True Beam offers the latest technology to treat cancer anywhere in the body with state-of-the-art accuracy and speed. This includes cancer in the brain, lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, said Florida Hospital Flagler radiation oncologist Dr. Luis Carrascosa. With this technology's sophisticated imaging capabilities, we will be able to treat our cancer patients with the most cutting-edge stereotactic treatment techniques with extremely high precision and shorter course treatment schedules.

Before opening the groundbreaking event with a prayer, Florida Hospital Flagler chaplain Eddie Goncalves shared with the crowd, Cancer is close to my heart, as my wife is a cancer survivor.

With you Lord, all things are possible, he prayed. Thank you for this opportunity to expand our cancer center. May this new addition serve Your purpose and allow us to continue to extend our healing ministry of Christ.

The McLauchlin and Company based out of Ocala, Fla., is the general contractor for this construction project and it is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

About Florida Hospital Flagler

Florida Hospital Flagler is a member of AdventHealth, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 99-beds, Florida Hospital Flagler is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 907 beds and more than 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.