Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - Nemours Children’s Health is creating a world-class children’s cancer center in Northeast Florida to meet the growing needs of children and their families. As a leader in treatment and research, the newly constructed Nemours Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (NCCBD) will provide state of the art care for children with cancer, sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies, hemophilia, other hematologic disorders and vascular malformations. The NCCBD serves children from birth through 18 in the greater Northeast Florida and Southeastern Georgia region. The center treats approximately 1,500 patients during 7,400 encounters annually. This includes more than 700 current cancer patients and survivors as well as children with other blood disorders. Perhaps the greatest beneficiaries are the children and families who are most marginalized by income; those who are un-insured/underinsured and/or on Medicaid account for nearly 52% of Nemours Children’s patients. Since 2012, the number of families seeking care at Nemours Children’s for pediatric cancer has more than doubled. We have adjusted staffing models to keep pace with that increase while maintaining high quality care. The newly constructed pediatric cancer treatment center in Jacksonville will allow us to remain at the forefront of cancer treatment and care. It will include advanced technological resources, personalized treatment regimens and provide a comprehensive suite of psychological supports for patients and their families. With a focus on improving clinical outcomes, enrolling more patients in clinical trials, better supporting the patient and family experience and educating the next generation of physicians, the new 13,708 square foot cancer treatment center will include dedicated isolation waiting areas, lab spaces for efficient one-stop service, dedicated and expanded medication and infusion rooms, consult rooms and spaces for supportive care services. The completed center will provide: • Higher capacity for clinical trials in gene therapy and immunotherapy • Improved wrap-around services, including psychosocial support for patients and families • Greater capacity to serve the community’s most vulnerable pediatric patients Congressionally Directed Spending will support the upgrade of technology infrastructure to support equipment and technology purchases that meets Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Stage 7 requirements to provide access to critical information when and where clinicians need it. It will reduce time and errors in care delivery, result in increased patient satisfaction and will enhance care delivery by having the right information at the right time for both the patient and the clinician. The system is designed to fully support clinicians in better serving patients and families and ensuring the highest standards of data security.
