Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Brooklyn Infusion Center

BROOKLYN INFUSION CENTER Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center brooklyn

new york

VISION/ RESEARCH

transforming the patient experience

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) sought to develop a new prototype chemotherapy infusion center that streamlines and enhances the patient care experience by reducing patient wait times, offering patients choices in many aspects of the treatment process, and by conveniently locating this facility in a residential neighborhood outside of Manhattan. The concept makes patients “chemo-ready� by performing blood work and other screening procedures the day before in MSKCC’s Manhattan facilities, then providing the chemotherapy drug treatment in the neighborhood facility. Brooklyn was selected as the location for the initial prototype center.

chemoready MSKCC and its consultants researched the patient, family and staff perspectives of the chemotherapy process. This involved a series of observations, interviews with MSKCC staff, ‘shadowing’ of patients, and workshop charrettes.

The process analyzed the physical movement of patients and staff within the space while utilizing full scale mockups to test the physical and psychological parameters at work in the “chemo-ready” operational proposal. Ultimately these explorations confirmed the inefficiencies of the traditional chemotherapy infusion process, and validated the advantages afforded by a “chemo-ready” infusion model.

ZGF compiled and validated a space program for meeting the MSKCC’s operational and experiential goals, and designed a unique, patient-centric environment. The facility, which occupies 7,745-square-feet of ground floor storefront space, has the capacity to accommodate 30 patients on a daily basis.

PATIENT INVOLVEMENT

REMOTE

PATIENT WAITING TRADITIONAL METHOD

START IV

ASSESSMENT

ROOM IN

DRUG DELIVERY

CHECK IN

DRUG PREP

PICK PHARMACY

CUE PHARMACY

MODIFY TREATMENT

PHONE ASSESSMENT

GOES HOME

VISIT W/ PHYSICIAN

BLOODS & VITALS

REMOTE

DAY OF

TREATMENT TREATMENT

‘chemo ready’

DAY BEFORE

PROCESS LABS

START IV

DRUG PREP

ASSESSMENT

CUE PHARMACY

MODIFY TREATMENT

VISIT W/ PHYSICIAN

BLOODS & VITALS

WAIT

CHECK IN

PROCESS LABS

ROOM IN

traditional

DAY OF

AT BIC

NO PATIENT TIME REQUIRED

4

CHECK IN COMMUNITY GALLERY GARDEN FLEX TREATMENT TREATMENT POD

THE DESIGN

1 2 3 4 5

5

3

SUPPORT

FLEX

STAFF

1

T R E AT M E N T

QUIET

SHARED

SERVICE

ACTIVE

CHECK-IN

2 COMMUNITY

The design of the Brooklyn Infusion Center is based first and foremost on the patient experience. As the patient enters the facility from the street, they arrive into a checkin lobby where they are met by a staff member or they may opt for a self check-in monitor; there is no traditional waiting room. Patients then select and move directly into one of twelve private treatment pods. In their private pod they are met by a nurse for a final check and can then promptly begin their infusion.

creating a healing environment

There is also a Flex Treatment Room that allows MSKCC to offer complementary health treatments such as yoga and meditation, as well as acupressure, Reiki massage, and relaxation techniques. The facility also includes a community gallery that features seasonal exhibitions incorporating patients’ stories and installations by Brooklynbased artists, and community outreach events, such as lectures and seminars about cancer prevention, screening, and treatment.

central garden

The concept of a “Central Garden” forms the heart of the facility. The Garden configuration is inspired by New York’s urban “pocket parks”, with a series of zones designed for a variety of interaction intensities. These zones include conversation areas, a library, and a communal “farm table” area that allows for shared activities. These social spaces are provided for those times that patients feel well enough to be outside of their treatment pods and choose to gather with caregivers and other patients.

The pods, which are staggered along each of the Garden’s long edges, have direct visual and physical access to the comforts afforded by the Garden amenities.

One of the key challenges in designing the Garden environment was the deep, narrow floor plate of the space with the front façade serving as the only source of natural light. This challenge was met by introducing varying types and locations of indirect lighting, and by keeping surfaces light to create a more expansive and spacious feeling. Planters, vegetation and a water feature define the Garden’s spaces, create texture and color along circulation paths, and provide a calming sense of connection to natural elements. These design moves acknowledge the value of biophilia, with its growing body of medical and psychological research indicating that patient recovery is accelerated and staff productivity and satisfaction are increased in environments that offer connections with nature.

BROOKLYN INFUSION CENTER PODS STUDY

POD OVERLAY ON EXISTING

TYPICAL EXISTING MSKCC CLINIC ROOM

spectrum of choice The Center is designed to provide a wide variety of choice for spaces within which patients can receive their treatments, ranging from the very tranquil, highly controlled private environments of the treatment pods, to the various levels of shared, more active interaction supported by the Central Garden space and the Flex Treatment Room.

Environmental and material cues were designed to create the idea of patient and staff “realms,” and to reinforce the sense and identity of the spaces that “belong” to the patients. A novel chemotherapy chair in the treatment pods includes a chair-mounted touch-screen interactive system enabling patients to call a nurse, get some work or shopping done on the Internet, or make videophone calls with friends and family. The chair also incorporates controls for lighting and temperature in the pods.

a community resource A community gallery (called the inFUSION gallery) was placed at the street frontage to serve as a visible neighborhood resource for health advocacy presentations, and to double as gallery space for artists and patients who wish to display exhibits related to their experiences with cancer. MSKCC has partnered with local Brooklyn artists to infuse a meaningful, colorful and lively art program into the facility. Additionally, the wall of mailboxes near the check-In desk was positioned to face the street, with the translucent mailboxes backlit by a programmable LED lighting array. These features provide a special presence at the street, and help foster a unique identity for the Brooklyn Infusion Center.

BROOKLYN INFUSION CENTER Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center brooklyn

new york

OWNER

MSKCC Design + Construction: Suzen Heeley, Director MSKCC Strategic Planning and Innovation: Wendy Perchick, Chief ARCHITECT

ZGF Architects LLP: Architecture/ Interior Design Design Team: Jan Willemse/ Sharron van der Meulen Matt Fleck/ Michael O’Meara/ Bethany Clouse John Breshears/ Barbara Kubasti/ Andre Covington Robert Petty/ David Feydyk/ Steph Wilson ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS

Silman Associates: Structural Engineering AKF Engineers: MEP Engineering PROJECT MANAGER

Stantec CONTRACTOR

JGN Construction Corporation

press co n tac t Katie Kervin e: katie.kervin@zgf.com p: 503.863.2242