Blood Cancer Healing Center a national model for collaborative design and construction

As construction on research and integrative health spaces on the fourth and fifth floors of the building nears completion this fall, members of the construction and design teams are sharing their experiences as a national, innovative model for a successful project that prioritizes patient care and research while breaking down silos.

Representatives from the Cancer Center, UC Health, Champlin | EOP and Skanska presented lessons learned and best practices regarding the unique ownership structure of the project at the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo in September and at the Healthcare Design Expo + Conference Oct. 26 in Kansas City with a focus on design strategies that shaped this transformative project.

The redevelopment of the former Shriners Hospital as a comprehensive blood cancer center began in June 2021 with the goal of integrating all three pillars of academic medicine — patient care, research and education, and training — under one roof.

Previously, patients, physicians, wellness educators, survivors and researchers were siloed and spread out in different locations, limiting interactions and potential for collaboration and community building. In the BCHC, these and other stakeholders and community members are just an elevator ride away from one another.

“This shuttered hospital presented some unique opportunities and challenges for its transformation into a state-of-the-art blood cancer center,” said Priya Dhuru, principal at Champlin | EOP Architects. “The design vision was to create a dynamic environment that is welcoming and calming for patients and staff, supporting world-class research and inviting collaboration, while promoting the health and well-being of the patients during treatment and beyond. This is truly a first-of-its-kind, all-in-one blood cancer center.”

The comprehensive BCHC includes outpatient services such as an advanced therapeutics unit, bone marrow transplant clinic and retail pharmacy; an inpatient care unit; research space for the Leukemia & Drug Development Lab and industry partners; and integrative medicine services, including a teaching kitchen, a multi-faith room, physical therapy and survivorship care.

“It was clear that the complexity of what we were trying to accomplish meant we needed UC and UC Health to move beyond a typical owner-tenant relationship. We quickly established and maintained an open dialog between both institutions’ planning and operations teams to ensure the two entities reconciled key differences in their contracting methods, design standards and maintenance protocols,” said Ted Christian, senior project manager with Champlin | EOP and former UC senior director of projects. “We established a detailed matrix of expectations that guided which institution’s standards would prevail whenever a question arose, and we stuck to that throughout the project to ensure the patient experience was always the top priority.”

The construction team said constant collaboration and consultation with experts and end users were crucial to bringing the vision to life, particularly when facing unexpected setbacks and obstacles.

“Transforming the former Shriners Hospital into the Blood Cancer Healing Center demanded precise coordination and technical execution, from upgrading legacy MEP systems and meeting I-2 occupancy requirements to implementing advanced infection control protocols,” added Nathan Minnich-Weber, Skanska project executive. “Skanska’s early alignment with project partners was key to overcoming challenges and delivering a facility that meets the highest standards of safety and care. This project shows how collaboration and technical precision can drive transformative outcomes in health care construction.”

The Cancer Center’s Megan Johnstone, PhD, said the building’s unique design is leading to tangible improvements, including up to an acute myeloid leukemia survival rate that’s 33% higher than the national average and 95% satisfaction for outpatient care.

More than 50 cutting-edge clinical trials are centrally located and more easily accessible to patients in the BCHC, and centralized care leads to easy coordination and access and more time at home for patients.

Researchers can accelerate drug development timelines with faster lab results and patient samples being processed directly below them. And the next generation of researchers, clinicians, pharmacists, chaplains, therapists and more can train and learn together in an integrative and collaborative environment.

The design team said keys to making the project a success included:

• Keeping the larger vision at the forefront
• Prioritizing rapid responses to challenges
• Proactive scheduling of meetings well in advance to ensure representation from each organization
• Compromising on design and construction plans for the benefit of end users
• Open and honest debriefs after solving problems
• Celebrating wins
• Communicating early, often and repeatedly

“Patients, caregivers, providers, researchers and integrative health professionals are spending so much more time together,” said Johnstone, clinical research director in the Blood Cancer Healing Center. “We are making decisions in real time that affect our patients right now. It is satisfying to see hard work make an immediate difference.”

Featured photo at top of the outside of the Blood Cancer Healing Center. Photo/Andrew HIgley/UC Marketing + Brand.