Imagine hearing the words, “Your child has cancer.” For nearly 1,000 families in Florida each year, this unimaginable moment becomes their reality. What follows is a journey no family ever anticipates: navigating treatments, balancing hope and fear, and for far too many, uprooting their lives to seek care in another state because Florida lacks the resources to provide the most advanced pediatric cancer treatments. Florida is the third-largest state in pediatric population, yet it doesn’t have a single pediatric cancer program ranked in the nation’s top 25.
Florida’s children deserve better.
That’s why Florida’s Specialty Hospitals for Children — 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 — are united in a shared mission to ensure that no child in Florida ever has to leave our state for world-class cancer care.
As the four hospitals solely focused on investing in and providing pediatric care, Florida’s specialty children’s hospitals are uniquely designated to care for the most complex medical diagnoses. One in four Florida children will receive treatment in Florida’s non-profit specialty children’s hospitals, and these four hospitals serve the majority of Florida children with inpatient admissions for complex cancer conditions or rare tumors.
Building the Best Pediatric Cancer Programs
Florida’s Specialty Hospitals for Children have committed to investing in four key areas: research, top talent recruitment, expanded clinical programs, and state-of the-art infrastructure and technology – to bring Florida’s specialty children’s hospitals to the level of top-ranked pediatric cancer centers.
This investment will allow these four hospitals to expand research and drive innovations that will define the future of pediatric cancer care; attract world-renowned specialists and build the strongest teams; provide Florida children with more access to cutting-edge therapies and clinical trials; provide world-class clinical and research facilities; and create a significant return on investment for our state through economic and social benefits.
As Florida’s leaders work to build a better future for our state, Florida’s Specialty Hospitals for Children are ready and committed to transforming pediatric cancer care in Florida and ensuring that every child can receive the care they need without leaving home.