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Outpatient clinic caters to local patients.

Cancer treatment services are expanding at Grande Ronde Hospital (GRH) with the creation of the Outpatient Oncology and Infusion Clinic.

The new clinic will have space for approximately seven patients, private examination rooms, a nurses’ station, a waiting area, a bathroom, a physician’s office and more. Construction begins in October and should be finished by 2011, costing approximately $175,000.

Filling a local need

When GRH began offering outpatient oncology services in 2008, Walla Walla oncologist Seymour Bronstein, MD, expected that the clinic would grow to serve approximately 12 patients a week. At that time, the space set aside in the SurgiCenter—the hospital’s day surgery wing—seemed more than adequate.

Within six months, however, the demand had exceeded the estimate. Today, the clinic serves approximately 25 to 30 patients every week—more than twice what was originally anticipated. In addition to his weekly visits to GRH, Dr. Bronstein provides telemedicine consultations so local patients don’t have to make the trip to Walla Walla.

Surgical services nurse manager April Brock, RN, says the original prediction underestimated the demand for local care and the quality of that care. Because cancer patients typically have all of their lab work and associated testing at the facility where they receive treatment, GRH had no information about the number of local cancer patients on which to base demand.

“We did underestimate how prevalent cancer is in Union County,” Brock says. “But I’m also pleased to say the standard of care we offer assures our patients they can stay right here at home and still receive a high standard of care. We have an oncologist who physically oversees the clinic, and our oncology nurses put their hearts and souls into this. Our patients let us into their lives at their most vulnerable time. It’s a privilege to care for them.”

Patient-focused growth

Finding the room to expand the clinic in a facility where space is at a premium took time. Last fall, approval was given to convert the Mount Harris conference room to a multiuse space for the weekly oncology clinic, while infusion therapies that are now typically done in the emergency department will be done in the Mount Harris space during the rest of the week.

“This is really a great solution to several issues,” says Doug Romer, RN, GRH executive director of patient care services. “We provide a better environment for our cancer patients, and we alleviate some of the burden on an already crowded ER.”

Although the design details have not been finalized, GRH’s project manager, Tim Wilcox, is researching how to best serve patients. He is visiting other facilities to gather ideas.

“It seems to me that this is a time in these people’s lives that is really stressful,” Wilcox says. “Sometimes they’re here for hours for their treatments. So we want to create an environment for them that is safe and comfortable. We want each patient to have their own personal space but also have the option to socialize.”

Having those options is important to Brock, who is also focused on keeping patient needs at the heart of the project.

“We know our patients,” she says. “Some of them are very private, and they need an intimate and personal space. Others are more social. They see each other every week, and they bond. If the space separated them, they would find a way to get closer together.”

The GRH Foundation has pledged $43,000 toward the expansion project. More than halfway to its goal, the Foundation has received generous support from hospital employees, past annual donors, the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign and others.

To help support the expansion of the Outpatient Oncology and Infusion Clinic, call the GRH Foundation at 541-963-1431.