Smilow Cancer Center Ready to Open
By DIANA PEREZ
Updated 9:45 AM EST, Tue, Oct 20, 2009
The Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven is just days away from opening. Monday, the hospital gave NBC Connecticut a behind the scenes look at the brand new facility that has streamlined six cancer care sites into one building.
“It’s all women’s treatment on the first floor, and then the rest of the building will be dedicated to all other cancers," explains Bill Mahoney, the hospital's Administrative Director. "So it will be elevator rides instead of long distance travel, “ he adds.
Smilow is the state's largest health care project. Boasting 511,000 square feet and shooting 14 floors into the Elm City’s skyline, the state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility cost nearly $500 million, needed a million and half man hours and took about five years to complete.
It's considered an addition of the Yale-New Haven Hospital, but it’s more of a crown jewel for everyone involved. Mahoney says, "we were told many times... This is not a Wal-mart, this is not a casino, this is a cancer hospital and it has touched everybody.”
Patients were put first as the building started going up, said Mahoney. "Patients were in on the design team making some of the decisions. They told us what worked well and what didn’t work in our existing buildings.”
So they ended up with TV’s in the radiation rooms, windows in surgery recovery rooms, a bridge that connects buildings, a rooftop healing garden plus bright rooms and hallways.
“There are over 750 pieces of art, not only paintings. A lot of glasswork, sculptures, ceramics. A lot to give it a real nice feel to it,” says Tom Roche, the project manager.
The hospital also thought about its staff and streamlined the way it gives care. The third floor rooms that are equipped with MRI’s lead right into operating rooms, for example.
The hospital will have a dedication Wednesday and see its first patient Monday.
First Published: Oct 19, 2009 5:10 PM EST
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