Peter Schorsch
Florida’s Specialty Hospitals for Children are collaborating to advance Florida’s position as a leader in pediatric cancer care and ensure Florida families can access world-class cancer treatment for their children without leaving the state.
Florida is the third-largest state in terms of pediatric population and accounts for 6% of all new pediatric cancer cases in the United States. Yet Florida does not have a top 25 ranked pediatric cancer program and has only one top 50 ranked program.
This is based on U.S News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals for Cancer rankings, which are specifically focused on childhood cancer and based on clinical excellence, patient outcomes, access to clinical trials, patient experience, and survivorship resources.
There is a critical need for investment in pediatric cancer care to bring Florida to the level of states like Ohio, California, New York, and Texas, each of which has four or more hospitals ranked as U.S. News & World Report’s 50 Best Children’s Hospitals for Cancer.
Florida’s specialty children’s hospitals are uniquely positioned to elevate pediatric cancer care and secure Florida’s place as a top-ranked state in pediatric research, innovation, and treatment.
One in four Florida children will receive treatment in Florida’s non-profit specialty-licensed children’s hospitals: Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, and Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville. These four hospitals serve the majority of Florida children with inpatient admissions for complex cancer conditions or rare tumors.
Florida’s Specialty Hospitals for Children have committed to investing in four key areas — research, recruitment, program development, and infrastructure/technology — to address the gaps to bring Florida’s specialty children’s hospitals to the level of top-ranked pediatric cancer centers. Funding from the Florida Legislature will make a significant impact in helping Florida’s four specialty children’s hospitals reach this goal and make the state a destination for world-class pediatric cancer care.
In a joint statement, Florida’s Specialty Hospitals for Children said, “No family should have to leave our state for critical cancer care. There is a critical opportunity for collaboration with Florida’s Specialty Hospitals for Children and the State of Florida for robust and integrated clinical programs and research that define state-of-the-art cancer care for children. As the four hospitals solely focused on investing in and providing pediatric care, we are committed to building the best cancer programs to make Florida a top-tier state for pediatric cancer care.”
