The Puerto Rican government has allocated $196 million dollars to build a 287,000 sq. ft., 96-bed, cancer hospital in San Juan. The new hospital, which will provide cancer treatment and conduct clinical trials, is the first of its kind in the Caribbean.

The hospital broke ground at a national ceremony hosted by the Governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro Garcia-Padilla, in February 2014 and has a projected opening date of April 2016. The National Cancer Institute was represented by Sanya A. Springfield, Ph.D., director of the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities.