Kelly Hayes
HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital unveiled its new $50 million hospital designed for endocrine surgery on Friday, showcasing the new program dedicated to the treatment of endocrine tumors.
Tampa Democratic Rep. Susan Valdes joined Friday’s unveiling celebration and tour, delivering a proclamation to congratulate the hospital’s opening.
“The Hospital for Endocrine Surgery is a bright addition to the HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital and the HCA Florida Healthcare family that will undoubtedly save the lives of countless Florida citizens,” the proclamation reads. “Be it respectfully proclaimed that HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital and the HCA Florida Healthcare family are congratulated on the opening of the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery.”
The facility opened to patients at the start of January, and focuses on treating the endocrine glands: thyroid, adrenal and parathyroid. Since its opening, the program has seen nearly equal portions of patients travel in from the Tampa Bay region (33%), the rest of Florida (33%) and from other states/internationally (34%). As of the end of March, the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery has treated more than 1,000 patients.
“Our innovative approach to endocrine surgical care has brought together a group of nationally recognized experts to this one-of-a-kind facility to effectively treat thyroid, adrenal and parathyroid patients using innovative technology and minimally invasive surgical techniques,” said Sonia Wellman, CEO of HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital.
“Patients are traveling from outside of the region to seek our care, with many coming in from across the U.S. and globally. It’s no wonder we’ve successfully served more than 1,000 patients in our first three months of operations.”
The new facility includes 15 private inpatient rooms and eight operating rooms supported by 33 individual surgery bays for treatment, before and after surgery. The new hospital also employs radiology, nuclear medicine, laboratory and pathology services, which all have a focus on endocrine tumor diagnosis and treatment. Advanced therapies, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of thyroid tumors and minimally invasive scarless robotic thyroid surgery, also are available.
Endocrine tumors can create significant complications due to conditions caused by excessive hormone production or malignancy. Tumors and cancers of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands are often identified on routine lab tests or X-ray scans performed for an unrelated complaint, injury or illness. Endocrine tumors are thought to be often underdiagnosed, including more than 50% of parathyroid tumors and more than 75% of adrenal tumors.
