Insights

Perhaps most importantly, the cancer hospital provided a focus for all of the activities essential as part of a comprehensive cancer program. These included good patient support services, patient educational activities, easy access to radiologic services, enhanced clinical trial support, better patient navigator systems and, critically, bringing the various oncologic specialties together for the delivery of coordinated cancer care.

The ability to provide all of these activities under one roof is what made the construction of the N.C. Cancer Hospital a transformative event for the hospital and for our patients.

It was already a magical place because of the people – Gravely was in a strange way. I knew that taking those people, and putting them in a brand new shiny building – that wasn’t going to change how they were going to care for people, but people would be more positive and encouraged to come to a shiny new building.

The biggest benefit of the new hospital was giving the people of North Carolina a cancer hospital that valued them, their time and their experience. It is far easier to treat patients in the N.C. Cancer Hospital because while the patient population has grown enormously, the processes and systems are so much better. This makes patients willing to stay at UNC, which allows me to treat them better and to enroll them on clinical trials when appropriate.

I knew we needed a new hospital on day one: January 1998 — my first day. I did not train at UNC and had not seen Gravely before.

In Gravely, there was constant moving of the infusion center as we outgrew and outgrew again and again. In the second floor, basement, third floor, in the hallway – everywhere there would be patients with IVs getting their chemo. People were amazingly kind about it – both doctors and patients — but the beautiful new infusion center was such a relief.

I toured (the N.C. Cancer Hospital) several times while under construction and it was such a feeling of creating something wonderful that I got to see as it formed.

The best thing about the N.C. Cancer Hospital is people who work there (it was the same for Gravely, that is the one constant), (along with) windows and space.

The thing about going into Gravely is that … it was depressing when you walked in the door. There was no way for us to fix that. The staff made up for it with their incredible positive attitude, and just working through it every day. In the (new) cancer hospital, it’s a positive environment for the staff and the patients. It’s the fact that you walk in, and you feel assured. When I walk in the cancer hospital, I feel assured that people who work in that building know what they’re doing, care about their patients, care about the patient experience, and want to help you get better.

The best thing about the cancer hospital initially was the ability to have most of the cancer-specific needs in one building. It’s a huge help to have radiology, clinics, the infusion facility and the inpatient beds in one area.

As my treatment wound down my appointments at Gravely were spaced farther and farther apart. In those seven years, I saw much construction and rearranging of the building, and then began to watch as the new cancer hospital took shape. ‘Oh well,’ I thought, ‘the new hospital will be a much better facility for those who follow after me.’ However, at my very last visit at the old Gravely building I learned that my cancer had come back and metastasized. ‘At least,’ I thought, ‘I’ll get to enjoy the new hospital!

The new one is open and airy and light. Granted…nobody wants to be sick. But if you’ve got to be there, it’s a much more pleasant atmosphere. The people are always good and knowledgeable… Read more

-Vicky Oldham