Ten years and counting: Baptist MD Anderson celebrates a decade of bringing leading cancer care to Northeast Florida

Ten years ago, Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center opened its doors with a bold vision to bring leading cancer care to Northeast Florida and beyond. The center has since grown into a nationally recognized destination for cancer treatments that are among the most advanced in the nation. This year, Baptist MD Anderson celebrates a decade of delivering innovative, compassionate and multidisciplinary care through its partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

“This milestone is a tribute to the dedicated clinicians, researchers, nurses and team members whose compassion and commitment have brought hope and healing to tens of thousands within our community over the past decade,” said LeeAnn Mengel, BSN, MBA, vice president and administrator of Baptist MD Anderson. “It’s also a celebration of the strength of our patients. We are truly honored by the trust they place in us during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.”

In 2015, Baptist Health and MD Anderson joined forces to transform cancer care in the region by employing MD Anderson’s proven model of care in Northeast Florida. Baptist MD Anderson proudly became the third partner in MD Anderson’s cancer network, ensuring that its patients had access to the internationally recognized treatment protocols, pioneering clinical trials and cutting-edge translational research found in Houston. The only partner in the Southeast, Baptist MD Anderson is now one of seven hospitals and health systems in the national network – all working to advance the shared mission to end cancer by improving the quality and accessibility of cancer care in local communities.

“We congratulate the entire Baptist MD Anderson community for achieving this milestone, and we applaud the work done to provide their patients with high-quality cancer care over the past decade,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “We look forward to building upon this success as we strive together to advance our shared mission to end cancer.”

A holistic approach to cancer care

As Baptist MD Anderson’s programs continue to grow, so has its footprint within the region. In 2018, Baptist MD Anderson moved from an outpatient center on Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville’s campus into a purpose-built 330,000-square-foot building nearby. Designed with a holistic approach to cancer care in mind, it offers all the resources patients and their loved ones need located under one roof. The nine-story center serves as a hub for physician appointments, imaging, radiation and infusion therapies, spiritual support, counseling, nutrition and social services. It boasts the nation’s first cancer-specialized Walgreens pharmacy, and its Life Wellness Center features a retail shop offering a range of specialty care products and services.

Baptist MD Anderson has expanded its reach to meet the growing local need with multispecialty cancer care clinics at Baptist Medical Center South and Baptist Medical Center Clay. Patients can receive a range of services, including radiation oncology, medical oncology, breast surgery and infusion services.

A decade of impact

“What started as a small, but determined, team has grown into a dynamic, ever-growing community of talented specialists across many different areas of cancer care,” said Joe Putnam, Jr., MD, FACS, medical director of Baptist MD Anderson. “We are passionate about bringing innovative research and treatments to Jacksonville so patients and their families can receive the advanced care and support they need close to home.”

Baptist MD Anderson has achieved significant milestones over the past decade, including:

• Treating more than 60,000 patients.
• Caring for between 600 and 1,000 patients daily.
• Growing the number of team members from 32 to more than 700, creating hundreds of new jobs and strengthening the local economy.
• Performing more than 2,800 screenings on the Buddy Bus, our mobile mammography unit launched in collaboration with First Coast News in 2022.
• Screening over 33,000 patients at high risk for lung cancer with a simple CT scan of the chest.
• Raising more than $36 million in support from generous donors.
• Creating 13 different cancer clinics and centers under one roof that specialize in breast, colon and rectal, thoracic oncology, skin cancer, hematology oncology and more.
• Participating in more than 50 clinical trials annually.

Looking to the future

Life-changing therapies and cutting-edge clinical research trials are extending hope to cancer patients, even those with aggressive cancers. The number of clinical trials at Baptist MD Anderson expected to triple in the next couple of years. Approximately 50 studies will be taking place this year with more than 150 anticipated in the near future.

Baptist MD Anderson is leading the way in transforming cancer care in the region by offering some of the latest innovations in treatments, including immunotherapy, cellular and targeted therapy and molecular analysis.

Recognizing the need for a community-based cellular therapy program, Baptist MD Anderson recently launched its Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program. The initiative is designed to increase access to these lifesaving therapies for the treatment of blood cancers like multiple myeloma, leukemia and lymphoma. CAR T cell therapy is now being offered to the program’s very first patients, while stem cell transplants are expected to begin sometime next year.

“We are grateful to our colleagues at MD Anderson and throughout the network, our own physicians and team members, and the patients who have been a part of this journey,” said Michael A. Mayo, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “We’re excited about what the future holds as we work together to advance the vision of a cancer-free tomorrow: one patient, one treatment, one breakthrough at a time.”

Baptist MD Anderson recently hosted a three-day summit for more than 400 clinical, research and administrative colleagues from MD Anderson and its partner hospitals and health systems nationwide. The event brought together experts to discuss new clinical protocols and the innovative technologies, therapies and clinical trials that are shaping the future of oncology.

To mark the anniversary, Baptist MD Anderson has created a Ten-Year Report to highlight a decade of progress – from expanding expert care teams and increasing patient remission rates to pioneering new clinical trials and cellular therapies. This comprehensive report not only celebrates major milestones but also looks to the future as Baptist MD Anderson continues to push boundaries and redefine cancer care in Jacksonville and beyond. Explore the report at www.BaptistMDAnderson.com/10years.

Donations help support Baptist MD Anderson’s innovative cancer patient care, research, education and prevention programs. If you would like to donate, please visit: giving.baptistjax.com/endcancerjax.