Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has unveiled its newly expanded waiting area and additional clinic examination rooms for cancer patients and their families. The new, 10,000- square- foot space is located on the first floor of The Vanderbilt Clinic, across from the existing Cancer Center reception area.

Patients and donors provided input on the space design which has the look and feel of a hotel lobby, with soft carpet, warm wood accents and skylights for natural light. The family resource center, which provides educational materials and a small area with a computer, is now conveniently located in the new waiting area to accommodate the needs of patients.

Perhaps best of all, patients now have direct access to the clinic and will no longer have to walk a long distance to receive care.

“Our goal is to increase patient satisfaction and we have strived to do that in every aspect of the upgraded space,” said Carol Eck, administrative director of the Cancer Patient Care Center. “We wanted to increase the use of the amenities in the clinic and make sure everything is easily accessible to enhance the experience for our cancer patients,” said Eck.

There are eight additional exams rooms housed in the clinic, a consultation room and support offices. The expansion was made possible through generous donations from private donors along with financial support from the university.

This is the latest element in a multi-year expansion of the cancer clinic. Last year, Vanderbilt-Ingram opened a new Chemotherapy Infusion Clinic with nearly twice the number of patient chairs, in addition to a new reception area and laboratory test space. Vanderbilt-Ingram leaders have long-term plans to increase the number of staff members needed to accommodate the growing number of patients who are choosing Vanderbilt-Ingram for their cancer care.

The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of two centers in Tennessee and 40 in the country to earn this highest distinction. Its nearly 300 faculty members generate more than $140 million in annual federal research funding, ranking it among the top 10 centers in the country in competitive grant support, and its clinical program sees approximately 4,000 new cancer patients each year. Vanderbilt-Ingram, based in Nashville, Tenn., recently joined with 21 of the world’s leading centers in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a non-profit alliance dedicated to improving cancer care for patients everywhere. For more information, visit www.vicc.org.
 

Media Inquiries:
Dagny Stuart McMillin
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Phone: 615-322-4747
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http://www.vicc.org