Officials said the newly completed radiation oncology clinic will significantly improve cancer patient care at the Duke University Medical Center with what they describe as a “unique, modern and patient-focused environment.”
Duke University Hospital funded the four-year, $26 million project that resulted in 12,000 square feet in new construction and 18,000 square feet in renovations to existing space at the Morris Cancer Clinic on Trent Drive.
Dr. Christopher Willett, chair of the radiation oncology department at DUMC, characterized the renovations as having an “extraordinarily positive effect.”
“The state-of-the-art facilities will allow physicians, nurses and staff to care for patients in an excellent working environment,” said Tracy Gosselin, clinical operations director of radiation oncology.
“We took into account patient access and parking, patient flow through the clinic and how this could potentially be disruptive to both patients and staff,” Gosselin explained.
Such considerations influenced improvements such as the redesign of the nursing station, an infusion area and a patient education room. “Additional clinic space will permit new multimodality clinics in which radiation oncologists and surgeons can see patients jointly,” Willett said.
Renovations to the current department and the addition of a wing accommodated new facilities for treatment planning and patient care, such as the addition of pediatric waiting areas. Snack areas for patients further demonstrate the clinic’s attention to ensuring the comfort of patients. “Our newly renovated and expanded space provides patients with a great place to come for treatment as well as for care,” Gosselin said.
In addition, improvements extended beyond physical expansion. Five new linear accelerators and a new MRI scanner were installed. The treatment planning unit also received a new CT scanner. “The significance is that we have not only newer equipment, but ways to do treatment planning and to also get patients started for treatment quicker,” Gosselin said.
Design of the new building started in the late 1990s, and several former chairs of the department played an important role in the design process, including Dr. Leonard Prosnitz, who remains a professor of radiation oncology, and Dr. Edward Halperin, who is now vice dean of the School of Medicine.
“Dr. Prosnitz and Dr. Halperin were instrumental in the genesis, design, oversight and completion,” Willett said.
The final room of the newly renovated clinic, which is staffed by 14 physicians and a large support team, was completed last month and the new parking area will open later this month. Previous renovations to the clinic pale in comparison in terms of scale; the most recent renovations were in paint and carpeting in the early ’90s.
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