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Cleveland Clinic set to open ‘revolutionary’ cancer center
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Cleveland Clinic will open its new $276 million Taussig Cancer Center today.
The seven-story, 377,000-square-foot building will house all outpatient cancer treatment services on the institution’s main campus.
The new center will provide much-needed space to accommodate additional staff and reduce patient wait times, according to Nathan A. Pennell, MD, PhD, director of the lung cancer oncology program at Cleveland Clinic. There will be 126 exam rooms and 98 treatment rooms, a considerable increase from the previous facility’s 74 exam rooms and 72 treatment rooms.
The design also will allow the staff to better deliver multidisciplinary care, Pennell said.
The building is organized by sections, or pods, for specific cancer types. The pods allow all medical professionals within a specific discipline — including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, nurses and palliative care specialists — to work in the same area.
This approach is “revolutionary,” Pennell said.
“One of the major issues we have in any kind of medical care today is the coordination and communication between different practitioners,” Pennell told HemOnc Today. “There’s nothing patients hate more than having one doctor come in and tell them one thing, and then another come in the next day and say something different, making it immediately evident that they haven’t talked to each other. That is not going to be an issue now. This center is built so that communication will be seamless.
The design will improve efficiency, as patients will be able to see all members of their care team in one place rather than making several stops throughout the Cleveland Clinic campus.
“Everyone involved in patient care will be able to collaborate and share experiences,” Pennell said. “This is going to shorten the time it takes to get people treated. By improving communication, it will give patients the comfort of knowing everybody is on the same team and understands what is going to happen.”
The center’s design is intended to create a calming, healing environment.
Natural light is utilized throughout the facility through use high ceilings, of floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights. Chemotherapy infusion suites overlook the lawn, and artwork featuring bright colors adorns most of the interior.
The designers of the new facility incorporated patient feedback to ensure comfort and convenience.
For example, an expanded onsite laboratory area will reduce wait times for patients who need to have blood drawn prior to their appointments. The facility also includes onsite diagnostic imaging services, an outpatient pharmacy and a retail store designed specifically to meet the needs of people with cancer.
Additional components of the center incorporate the increasingly holistic approach to cancer care.
The first floor houses a wellness center that includes a prayer and meditation area, space for art and music therapy, a massage center, a wig boutique for patients who experience chemotherapy-associated hair loss, and confidential mentoring services.
“We are providing what patients are now looking for,” Pennell said. “Yes, patients want to come in and get treated at a top 10 cancer center with the most up-to-date research, the most up-to-date equipment and the most highly trained physicians. At the same time, patients are savvy. They’re reading the news, reading the internet, talking to others who have received cancer treatment, and they have questions. They want to know what else can be done.
“One of the most powerful things about the cancer center is that it is about the patient helping themselves,” Pennell added. “By giving them opportunities to do exercise, to learn mindfulness to deal with their symptoms, participate in art therapy and so on, we are giving them the opportunity to participate in their care.” – by Kyle Doherty