Florida is giving $30 million to four hospitals for pediatric cancer programs

Several Florida hospitals that treat kids with cancer will get a combined $30 million in state funding, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“I know that that’s going to go a long way,” DeSantis announced at a news conference Monday in Jacksonville. “This is really going to make a difference.”

Four hospitals will receive $7.5 million each: St. Petersburg’s Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Miami’s Nicklaus Children’s Hospital System, Jacksonville’s Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Orlando’s Nemours Children’s Hospital.

Wolfson plans to use its grant funding to create a home-delivery chemotherapy program to help reach more people in need, officials said.

“This is what the Cancer Connect Collaborative Research Incubator is all about, not only advancing the science around treatment and prevention, but also overcoming the barriers to accessing care,” said Shevaun Harris, Secretary of the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration.

Housed within the Florida Department of Health, the Cancer Connect Collaborative Research Incubator is focused on increasing research on pediatric cancer, which DeSantis said is the leading disease killer for children under 14. The need for more pediatric research stems from the fact that cancer trials can be limited for kids, the Governor said.

“Since 2019, when I took office, we’ve invested more than $1 billion in cancer research and treatment,” DeSantis said.

Cancer research is a personal cause for DeSantis, who is the father of young children and his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, is a cancer survivor.

The $30 million will be a game-changer for Florida’s hospitals, said Dr. Mark Toney, Wolfson’s vice president of medical affairs.

“Although Florida is the nation’s third-largest state for children, we still lack a top 25 pediatric cancer program. Too many families have to travel out of state for specialized treatment and added burden during an already difficult time,” Toney said at the press event, standing next to the DeSantises. “That will change. Today’s investment is a critical step forward.”