SoCal Flipbooks

8 | Health Matters: Providence Saint John's Health Center Soon, our care will become even better for patients like Tun, who will be able to receive treatments in Providence Saint John's new, state-of-the-art infusion center when it opens in the fall. The facility will be spacious enough to provide nearly twice as many treatments per year. In addition, the center has been designed to maximize patient comfort and convenience and provide more opportunities for our patients to participate in studies of promising investigative medications. At Providence Saint John's, we do everything we can to make the often stressful experience of infusion treatment as easy and comfortable possible. The new center 's additional space will enable patients to meet with their physicians, have blood drawn for lab work and get their infusions in a single location, explains Janice Frost, RN, director of oncology. "It's truly one- stop shopping," she says. In addition to chemotherapy, the infusion center will provide other treatments, such as blood and iron transfusions, according to Tuesday Crews, RN, a clinical supervisor. When patients arrive at the new center, they 'll be immersed in an environment awash in soft, beachy colors and decor as a way of mitigating the stress of undergoing chemotherapy. A motif of ocean waves will be seen in the design of the ceiling, flooring and nursing station. The elements will help "recall the calming influence" of the Santa Monica community and environment, says Sybil Fickett-Jones, who worked with lead architect Eric Sautter on the project. "We wanted to reinforce the awareness of being in Santa Monica so that patients can be more present, instead of losing a sense of where they are—as sometimes happens in some health care settings." In the center 's main room, 14 chairs will be equipped to provide massage and heated cushioning. Ample space between chairs will allow medical personnel to have easier access to electrical outlets and enable oncology nurses to move around more freely to attend to patients and connect needed equipment, such as electrically powered cold caps designed to protect patients' scalps and prevent the hair loss that can be a side effect of chemotherapy. "Comfort is one of our huge priorities," explains Crews. The new center will include a special room with a hospital bed, to provide a patient who is ill or debilitated with additional privacy and comfort, according to Parvin Peddi, MD, director of breast medical oncology at the Margie Petersen Breast Center at the Saint John's Cancer Institute. While they 're receiving treatment, patients will be able to use iPads to connect to the internet or watch entertainment. The additional space will enable the new infusion center to accommodate more oncologists completing research and conducting clinical trials, which Dr. Peddi sees as one of its biggest benefits. "Clinical trials are the bedrock of cancer therapy. We want to be able to provide the cutting-edge medications to our patients. The new infusion room will allow us to accommodate trials that sometimes require additional monitoring and that we couldn't do with the more limited bed CLINICAL TRIALS ARE THE BEDROCK OF CANCER THERAPY ... THE NEW INFUSION ROOM WILL ALLOW US TO ACCOMMODATE TRIALS THAT SOMETIMES REQUIRE ADDITIONAL MONITORING AND THAT WE COULDN'T DO WITH THE MORE LIMITED BED CAPACITY WITH OUR OLD INFUSION ROOM.

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