An expansion of the Zimmer Cancer Center at New Hanover Regional Medical Center is currently in the “planning and design stage,” a hospital spokeswoman recently said.

At the same time, a lung clinic at the facility should be established by this fall, hospital spokeswoman Claire Parker said in an email answer to questions about the work.

“The expansion is in the early stages of development, and the team is working through planning before we can estimate costs, project schedules and design features,” Parker said.

The Zimmer Cancer Center expansion “will better integrate and coordinate cancer care for our patients,” she said. 

The Zimmer Cancer Center is “southeastern North Carolina’s only community cancer center
dedicated solely to the diagnosis, treatment and support of people with cancer,” according to the NHRMC website.

Physicians and staff are using lean methodology to assess what components will be included in the expansion. Lean methodology essentially means creating additional value for customers with fewer resources while also reducing waste.

“Patient and family feedback is an important part of this process,” Parker said. “We are asking how we can support them in ways that go beyond their immediate medical needs.” 

A shorter-term initiative to advance cancer care will focus on establishing a lung clinic at the
hospital. 

“The goal is to streamline the process of diagnosing and treating lung cancer so it can be detected and treated earlier,” Parker said. 

Parker said that nationwide, the majority of lung cancers are found after they have progressed to stage III or IV, making them harder to treat. 

“We want to screen high-risk patients earlier and get patients who have a suspicious lung nodule to the clinic so we can coordinate the next level of care,” Parker said. “A nurse navigator will be available to assist patients and families with identifying the resources they need and to help facilitate care.”

Parker said the approach is “multi-disciplinary,” and involves pulmonologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists.

“We expect to have this program in place by early fall,” Parker said.

Hospital administrators plan to have specialists affiliated with the hospital system collaborate with planning of the Zimmer Cancer Center expansion.

Their input compliments feedback from patients, Parker said.

“It is important to bring our specialists together to improve convenience for patients and facilitate the collaboration that is so important to cancer treatment,” Parker said.

Medical oncologists from Cape Fear Cancer Specialists-NHRMC Physician Group are already caring for patients at the NHRMC Zimmer Cancer Center.

The expansion will include space for all medical oncologists with Cape Fear Cancer Specialists, Parker said.
 

ED-North opens in northern New Hanover

As plans for the Zimmer Cancer Center proceed, New Hanover Regional has also been busy with other projects.

A standalone emergency department located in northern New Hanover County opened on May 20 in response to a growing need for medical services in that area of the county, officials said.

The NHRMC Emergency Department North, or ED-North, is on 26 acres off Market Street,
next to NHRMC Atlantic SurgiCenter at 151 Scotts Hill Medical Drive.

The $15.1 million project, funded through the NHRMC capital budget, will house a full-service, 24-hour emergency department staffed by board-certified emergency physicians, specially trained emergency care nurses and a multi-disciplinary support team.

Services mirror those provided at the emergency departments of NHRMC’s main center on 17th Street and NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital on Wrightsville Avenue.

The ED-North location, a 30,000-square-foot building, includes 10 treatment rooms, one critical care room and pharmacy and full lab services. NHRMC is working through the permitting process to open an outpatient pharmacy in early summer, hospital administrators said.

“This is a modern emergency department with a new design that was developed using LEAN methodology and patient input,” Jack Barto, NHRMC president and CEO, said in a news release. “When patients today seek emergency medical care, they have a choice on where to go, and expect value and an excellent experience when they get there. ED-North gives patients in that area closer access to our higher standard of emergency healthcare.”

Plans for the ED-North facility include a helicopter pad so AirLink VitaLink Critical Care Transport teams can provide emergency air transport. NHRMC EMS teams will continue to provide emergency ground transport.

NHRMC Health & Diagnostics will relocate from Porters Neck to the new building, providing the same outpatient services, including CT, X-ray, digital mammography, MRI, bone density, ultrasound and more.

NHRMC Health & Diagnostics is expected to serve about 40 patients per day for scheduled outpatient appointments, the news release said.

Hospital officials estimated that between 35 and 40 patients will be served daily by ED-North, which is about 10 percent of the number of patients seen in the emergency departments of the 17th Street and Wrightsville Avenue locations.
 

Main Campus ED space to more than double

Work also began May 22 on an ambitious project to more than double the size of NHRMC’s emergency department at the 17th Street main campus – the busiest emergency department in southeastern North Carolina, Parker said.

She said the new emergency department design (project rendering above) includes an:

• increase of overall space from 17,800 square feet to 48,000 square feet
• growth of patient care spaces from 54 to 108, including specific rooms for pediatrics, patients with varying levels of illness or injury and behavioral health patients
• the ability to care for more than 104,000 patients visits a year, up from the current rate of more than 80,000 visits a year

The renovation and upgrade is scheduled for completion in spring 2017.

The construction plan “allows for seamless treatment as all services provided in the department will remain fully operational during the expansion,” Parker said.

Throughout the two-year project, emergency patients arriving by car will be directed to the new emergency entrance to the right of the hospital’s main front entrance.

Red signs will designate the new entrance, a drive-up emergency parking lane by the entrance and emergency parking in the lot in front of the Zimmer Cancer Center.

A team of staff, hospital police and volunteers will be stationed at the new emergency department entrance to provide guidance, check in patients and assist with parking, Parker said. Ambulance Drive will continue to be the main entry point for EMS ground transportation.

Parker said the project was designed with input from patients, families, physicians and staff. The team also used lean methodology to create a more efficient and effective space to better serve patients.

“Emergency medicine is evolving, and this design allows us to streamline patient flow, use the latest in emergency care technology and put patient needs at the forefront,” said Christy Spivey, NHRMC administrator of emergency departments and trauma services.

The project’s cost including construction, equipment, furniture and permitting, is $24.7 million, Parker said.

She said other benefits of the expansion include separate entrances for trauma and non-trauma patients to enhance patient flow and a Patient Resource Office on-site.

The office will have a dedicated team of community care staff including social workers, case managers, financial counselors and care teams to answer questions, connect patients with community resource referrals and facilitate follow-up care.

The project will also include an outdoor waiting garden for family members.