Nancy Farber, CEO Washington Hospital Healthcare System

Creating Comfort

Washington Hospital’s new Infusion Center offers the best in care for patients undergoing chemotherapy

Each year, more than 600 patients come to Washington Hospital to be treated for cancer. For many, the treatment process is long, complicated, unsettling and often tedious. Our goal at Washington Hospital is to make sure our patients have the very best care possible and, while they are with us undergoing treatment, to be as comfortable as possible. To that end, we recently dedicated our new Sandy Amos R.N. Infusion Center located in Washington West, 2500 Mowry Ave., across the street from the hospital.

Designed with the Patient in Mind
Chemotherapy infusions can take from one to six hours, with treatments extending for many patients for weeks and, for some, for months or years. Some patients will spend six to eight hours a day, many times a month, undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Patient comfort is essential for both the patient and the caregiver. In designing our new outpatient Infusion Center we decided to involve the patients themselves in determining the layout and amenities. We held many focus group meetings to learn what would make them the most comfortable while undergoing treatment. Their input was incredibly valuable in creating a true patient-focused Center and their guidance was of particular importance when selecting the food that would be available.

Chemotherapy affects the appetites of patients and it is important to have healthy food that will appeal to the patients. The Infusion Center has its own kitchen so we can provide the kind of food our patients have told us they will want to eat. Other ideas we have implemented include wireless Internet access, personal television sets for viewing while undergoing treatment, and screens that pull out from the wall so patients have a choice to either visit with family or other patients or to have privacy.

Sincerely,

Nancy Farber, CEO
Washington Hospital Healthcare System


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