The Susan Sheppard McGillicuddy Breast Center at BayCare's St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg is undergoing a $4 million expansion and renovation as it approaches its 20th anniversary next year. The changes will increase patient capacity and enhance access to advanced breast imaging technology.
The renovations and additions will include:
Located on the first floor of the hospital’s Professional Office Building, the center will expand by 1,500 square feet, bringing its total footprint to 5,000 square feet. The added space will enhance the patient experience while supporting a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer care. The center brings together specialists who support patients through screening, diagnosis, treatment, counselling and navigation services.
Even as construction has been in progress, the breast center team has been assisting patients.
"We are proud that the team has been able to continue to see our patients and provide the compassionate care that St. Anthony's is known for," said Michael Shields, the hospital's operations director. "We anticipate that the newly renovated facility will be open in the first quarter of 2027."
Claudia Nunes, MD, a board-certified radiologist and the center’s medical director since its opening in July 2007, said the changes are being made with patient comfort in mind.
“We know that for some patients, undergoing a mammogram can bring some feelings of anxiety,” Dr. Nunes said. “The new area will have softer colors and lighting. It will be warmer and less sterile to promote a sense of calm for our patients.”
About a year after opening, the center was renamed the Susan Sheppard McGillicuddy Breast Center through generous donations from her family. Sr. Susan McGillicuddy, a St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation team member who passed away in 2014, encouraged her brothers, former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack and Dennis McGillicuddy, to raise funds for the center.
The St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation recently received a $500,000 gift from Garner and Connie Koons in honor of Kunal Amin, MD, to help fund an additional mammography unit as part of the center’s expansion. Dr. Amin is affiliate staff and a member of the Foundation board. A dedication to name the imaging lobby outside the center for the Koons family in honor of Dr. Amin was held Sept. 18.
St. Anthony’s Hospital President Scott Smith said the breast center renovations are part of a larger project to enhance the hospital’s imaging and cancer treatment capabilities.
“With this project, the completion of our MRI suites last year and the continued interventional radiology expansion, St. Anthony’s Hospital and BayCare continue to meet the needs of our growing community,” Smith said.
Learn more: St. Anthony’s Hospital’s breast health services
