Moffitt Working To Improve Access to Care for Rural Patients
Davis retired to Florida to spend more time fishing.
When he retired to Sebring from Atlanta in 2014, Dennis Davis had a plan: fish and spend time with his wife, Deb.
Despite ongoing treatment for prostate cancer and tongue cancer, the 75-year-old said he has been able to do that thanks to the ongoing care he’s received at Moffitt Cancer Center. It’s a two-plus hour drive to Tampa for his appointments, but he’s more than happy to make the trek, he said.
“The people at Moffitt are so thorough, so kind and so compassionate,” said Davis, a retired pastor. “I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”
Davis first became a Moffitt patient in 2016 to monitor his prostate cancer treatment. But in 2021, his dentist discovered some concerns with his gums, which developed into cancer.
“The dentist noticed something with my gums and four of my teeth were loosened very quickly,” Davis said. “I immediately returned to Moffitt. There, I underwent surgery to reconstruct my jaw using bone from my left fibula.”
It was a 14-hour surgery that he said saved his life. The recovery was difficult, but through patience, prayer and help from his wife, he improved and is back to enjoying his retirement.
“I get checked every three to six months, and I’ve been told there is very little chance of cancer returning. I’m so blessed. Moffitt literally saved my life.”
Rural areas like Sebring don’t always have access to the cancer care larger metropolitan areas in Florida have. That’s why it’s important to continue sharing Moffitt’s mission with all areas of the state, says Susan Vadaparampil, PhD, associate center director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Moffitt.
“Whether it be education, training the next generation of the cancer workforce or providing direct services and having us take what is always limited resources and bringing it to the community, action-oriented things can help us reach every community,” she said.
Transportation can often be a challenge for rural cancer patients, according to Matthew Schabath, PhD, an epidemiologist at Moffitt who studies health disparities.
“Access to care is a multi-layered problem that we have,” he said. “We know getting to a hospital, just travel alone is a huge barrier. But accessing care is a huge barrier to getting high-quality care.”
In the past year, Moffitt has reached further into Hillsborough County with its Moffitt at SouthShore campus that opened in January. In January 2026, Moffitt’s clinic at SPEROS FL in Pasco County will welcome its first patients.
These are steps in the right direction, Davis said.
“I sit in the waiting room at Moffitt in Tampa and I think, boy, am I blessed,” Davis said. “I realize how fortunate I am. I would be thrilled to see Moffitt open up even closer to us here in Sebring. It would help so many people.”
