UF and Shands HealthCare announced a new partnership with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center on Wednesday.
UF President Bernie Machen said at a press conference the partnership would improve cancer care in Florida.
The Moffitt hospital, based in Tampa, uses a patient-centered approach, which will be used at the $388-million Shands Cancer Hospital in construction on Southwest Archer Road, Machen said. The hospital is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
William S. Dalton, CEO of Moffitt, said with patients' consent, medical officials could create a data warehouse to give the best care possible.
H. Lee Moffitt, former speaker of Florida's House of Representatives, said more than 100 Floridians die from cancer each day. The collaboration is essential to lessen the cancer crisis, Moffitt said.
"We must be prepared for the onslaught of cancer that we see growing on our horizon," he said.
Timothy Goldfarb, CEO of Shands HealthCare, said there was no better organization to team up with than the one started by Moffitt.
"His passion for the cure and the care of those afflicted with cancer is well-known," Goldfarb said.
"I wanted a bit of that to rub off on me, to rub off on our staff and to rub off on our state."
