Cancer centre opens in new wing

By Gillian Slade on September 26, 2017.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

A week ago the Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre began functioning in the new wing of Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, where everything related to cancer care is now in one location.

Service bays provide comfortable reclining chairs for patients receiving treatment such as an IV. They can enjoy views that include the river valley.

“It is really about the patient experience,” said Dan Thomas manager.

The centre has expanded from four exam rooms in the old space to eight in the new. These would be used for follow-up appointments with the local oncologist, who deals with tumour groups, and some who come from Calgary to see patients at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. For hematology support there are three from Calgary that rotate and come to Medicine Hat and a local general physician oncologist who supports follow-up for hematology patients here as well, said Thomas.

The walls throughout the centre are painted in tones of butter and a soothing blue, suggested by a patient focus group, to create a sense of tranquility and warmth.

Patients come to the cancer centre for systemic ambulatory care and chemotherapy, only during the day with no overnight stays, said Thomas.

“With the new space we now have pharmacy specific to chemotherapy in the centre of our centre,” said Thomas.

This means pharmacists are in close proximity, and the appropriate medications are not having to be transported from other areas of the hospital. Oral chemotherapy drugs are also dispensed to patients at this location.

A family and patient resource room has bookshelves displaying books, pamphlets and brochures related to cancer treatment and care. If you don’t have a computer, no problem. A computer with Internet access allows patients to access information online, said Thomas.

There are also consultation rooms for social workers to provide support for patients. They help them connect with spiritual help, financial support, family counselling, a dietitian and medication counselling by pharmacists, said Thomas.

“They connect many players that are involved in the patient’s journey — their cancer journey,” said Thomas noting it can be a 10- or 20-year cancer journey.

A conference meeting room, with a telehealth connection, can be used for a team counselling session, and if a patient is just starting chemotherapy to have a training session with staff on what to expect, said Thomas. It is also a place where patients would meet with Alberta Health Services’ “patient navigators” so the patient knows who to go to during their journey.

Two procedure rooms are for things such as bone marrow biopsies under a local anesthetic.

Administration offices for the cancer centre are all located in the same area, too.

Although support for pediatric patients is available in this location, generally they would go to pediatric oncology in Calgary.

“We do support some of their follow-up, blood work assessments, working with the pediatricians that are here,” said Thomas.

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