Sending flowers to Moffitt Cancer Center (Magnolia Campus)

Moffitt Cancer Center (Magnolia Campus) is on USF Magnolia Drive in Tampa. It is an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and in 2023 it opened a second inpatient site, Moffitt McKinley Hospital. With 206 licensed beds, it is smaller than Tampa's big general hospitals, but almost every inpatient here is in the middle of serious cancer treatment.

That changes the question. At most hospitals you ask "are flowers allowed?" At Moffitt you first need to ask "what is my person's blood count right now?"

What Moffitt Cancer Center (Magnolia Campus) allows

Moffitt's visitation and family presence policy is direct: fresh flowers and live plants are not allowed in the room of a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) patient or a neutropenic patient. Neutropenia means the body has very few of the white blood cells that fight infection, which is common after chemotherapy and stem cell transplants. Soil, standing water in vases and the microbes that live on petals can all carry risk for someone in that state.

The policy doesn't spell out what happens on other floors. Our reading is that a patient whose counts are normal may be able to receive flowers, but at a cancer center that status can change from one week to the next. Nothing in the policy addresses balloons, so we would not assume either way.

The practical rule for you: never send fresh flowers or a plant to Moffitt without checking with the patient or a close family member first. If they say "neutropenic precautions" or mention the transplant unit, skip flowers entirely.

Based on the hospital's own website, checked October 31, 2026.

Where the delivery goes

If the family gives you the green light, put the patient's full name and the campus on the order (Magnolia or McKinley), since Moffitt now runs two inpatient sites. A room number and your phone number reduce the chance of a delivery being bounced. The main number is (813) 745-4673 if the florist needs to confirm a patient is there.

General visiting hours are 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily, so aim for a daytime delivery. Treatment schedules shift and patients sometimes go home earlier than expected, so a quick text to the family on the day is worth it.

If flowers aren't an option

For a BMT or neutropenic patient, think of things that comfort without carrying germs from outside:

• A handwritten card or a stack of short notes from friends, one to open each day.
• Soft socks, a lightweight blanket or a good lip balm (ask the family first, as some units screen all items).
• A digital gift: an audiobook, a streaming subscription, a puzzle app.
• Flowers sent to the caregiver at home, who is often running on empty.

Silk or dried flowers are sometimes suggested as a workaround, but dried arrangements can hold dust and mold. Ask the care team before bringing any.

What to send to a patient here

When flowers are cleared, choose something small, fragrance-free and easy to remove: a low posy of roses or carnations in a sealed vase rather than an open basket with foam. Avoid potted plants. The words often matter more than the bouquet here, so spend time on the card. Our card-writing guide has lines for people going through cancer treatment, and the get-well flowers guide covers low-scent choices.

Sending somewhere else in Tampa? See flower delivery in Tampa for cutoff times and other local hospitals.