Walking into the atrium of the new Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute at The Hospital of Central Connecticut feels similar to entering the lobby of a resort hotel.
It emits a sense of warmth and comfort — from its massive stone fireplace to its natural light, modern decor and soothing colors. That ambiance travels throughout the roughly 135,000-square-foot building, from fireplaces in radiation therapy waiting rooms and the chemotherapy infusion center to expansive views of a healing garden with pond and walking trail.
The $40 million facility — which straddles the New Britain-Plainville line on a former quarry two miles from The Hospital of Central Connecticut — will open in phases beginning in March. Its unique resort-like design mirrors a national trend in the way modern healthcare facilities are built, focusing not just on equipment and treatment but also on ambiance to create atmospheres aiming to keep patients calm and not afraid to come back.
The building puts under one roof all the doctors, latest technology and services for cancer patients, whether they’re receiving chemotherapy or routine tests like annual mammograms. The facility is roughly split between cancer care on one side, medical offices and imaging/testing services on the other.
“This has been a dream of mine for many years,” said Dr. Peter Byeff, medical director for the Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute. “We’re going to have all the physicians that deal with cancer in one physical location,” allowing patients to see those doctors, get radiation therapy, chemotherapy, biopsies, scans and other services without leaving.
The new center aims to provide more accessible cancer care for residents in Plainville, New Britain, and the Farmington Valley region, centralizing services and doctors that were previously geographically scattered.
The new center also comes online as Hartford Healthcare ramps up its membership in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance. Part of that partnership aims to bring new drugs and treatments to the Hartford region and standardize cancer care across all five Hartford Healthcare hospitals.
“That’s how we’re beginning to see this change take place” throughout Hartford Healthcare facilities, said Kristoffer Popovitch, director of oncology services for Hartford Healthcare’s central region. “All of the benefits of Sloan are going to be here in Connecticut. Now you need buildings to accommodate those services offered — that’s what this is for this part of the state. This provides an opportunity for people in the community to receive the same level of care that they would receive at Memorial Sloan … the cancer trials, the clinical trials, the technology … the physicians, the education that they receive, it’s here in this building, in a central location.”
Health facility trends
The cancer center, while a showpiece of technology and design, will not become Hartford Healthcare’s main cancer research and care center, said Donna Handley, vice president of operations of the Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute. But it does offer a window into the way hospitals are changing how they interact with patients to provide better, more coordinated care.
The center’s focus on ambiance and consolidated services reflects a trend in hospitals and cancer care nationally, said Lori Gardner, senior director of communications and marketing for the Association of Community Cancer Centers.
“Obviously, outcome is important, but [patients] also want to go somewhere that’s pleasant … where they’re having their services, where they walk in the door and it’s just a pleasing environment,” Gardner said.
Visitors can self-park on the 18-acre site or use valet. A patient ambassador will welcome visitors in the lobby and provide assistance.
Education is an important aspect of the facility, with a resource center featuring literature, online access and staff assistance for patients and families seeking more information about their disease or support services.
Additionally, nurse navigators will help steer patients through the clinical process of cancer treatment. They will be complemented by social workers directing patients to services that include emotional and financial support.
Treatment and imaging features include the latest radiation therapy like the TrueBeam, which Popovitch likened to the “Cadillac of linear accelerators” and the newest MRI technology.
Chemotherapy infusion bays, which overlook the garden, allow patients to sit with others or draw curtains for privacy.
The facility also includes a physical therapy room overlooking the garden for patients undergoing or completing cancer treatments. Other features include a pharmacy, nutrition center, café, and large gardenside patio.
Dr. Kristen Zarfos, director of the Comprehensive Breast Health Center opening in the building in March, said the facility will take her specialty, breast care, to a new level. Instead of getting a mammogram and learning days later an abnormality requires follow-up imagery, patients will be able to get same-day mammography reads and follow-up tests.
“It’s not just about peace of mind, but it’s about efficiency,” Zarfos said. “So if a patient does have an abnormality, it can be handled in such a way that there are answers sooner, and the sooner you have answers, the sooner you can provide the care.”
