Stanford Children’s Health opens new inpatient cancer center and outpatient heart center—boosting capacity for specialty care

Two new care areas will benefit patients with cancer, blood disorders, and heart conditions.

- By Samantha Beal

Patients at the Children’s Heart Center cut the ribbon on the new outpatient heart clinic, located on the first floor of the main building.
Courtesy of Stanford Children's Health

This month, two new patient care areas opened at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. On December 7, the inpatient care units of the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases moved from the hospital’s west building to the fifth floor of the main building. Also in December, the hospital opened a new outpatient center for cardiac care, neurodiagnostics and pulmonary diagnostics on the first floor of the west building.

“Our new facilities aren’t just expanding our capacity to care for patients,” said Kathy Bishop, RN, clinical director for the Bass Center. “The design and the technologies employed are improving the coordination of care and safety for our most acute patients.”

The new 65,000-square-foot Bass Center facility houses two inpatient units for patients with cancer, blood disorders, and those undergoing stem cell transplant. Its 49 new private rooms are spacious and bright with natural light, and include sleeping accommodations for family. They also have all the latest technology, such as iPads, TVs and gaming consoles.

On the newly opened stem cell transplant unit, positive-pressure ventilation keeps every room cleaner to prevent infections, which means that patients and visitors don’t have to wear masks, gowns or booties. And because of the state-of-the-art ventilation system, patients won’t be confined to their rooms. Children hospitalized on the unit will be able to use the playroom, decreasing the isolation they feel during treatment. Teens and young adults, who make up about 50 percent Bass Center inpatients, will be able to hang out together in a teen lounge called the Den, featuring computer stations, a lounge area, and a big screen for movies and video games.

Efficient and family-centered outpatient cardiac care

The new outpatient clinic of the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center is located on the first floor of the Packard Children’s Hospital Main building. The new space will expand the clinic’s capacity for patient visits, now nearly 10,000 visits annually. It is designed for optimal efficiency and family-centered care.

The clinic includes a telehealth room, allowing families who live far from Palo Alto to consult with their caregivers remotely. A real-time location services platform tracks patients’ journeys through the clinic, alerting staff to prolonged waiting periods and to the locations of care providers.

Input from patients’ families during the design of the clinic enabled inclusion of features built with their comfort in mind.

“Often we need to have lengthy conversations with families on their care plan or to explain a diagnosis,” said Bob Wenz, RN, MS, director of outpatient cardiology, neurodiagnostics, and interventional services. “Our families gave us feedback that clinic rooms were not ideal for these conversations. So we established consult rooms that offer privacy and comfort with sofas and chairs.”

The innovative design of the clinic will support the Children’s Heart Center’s core mission of treating critically ill patients and those with rare conditions, Wenz said.

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.

2023 ISSUE 3

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