Pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer and blood disorders in the greater Pacific Northwest will be cared for at a new state-of-the-art facility specifically designed for transformative, patient-centered care.
On Dec. 5, the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (CBDC) officially opened the doors to its new outpatient space at Forest B. Forest B is a 310,000 square-foot addition to Seattle Children’s hospital campus that continues to open in phases throughout 2022.
In addition, the new Seattle Children’s Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Clinic will join CBDC’s outpatient clinic space at Forest B. This move concludes the last phase of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance restructuring that created the Fred Hutchison Cancer Center and brings all pediatric cancer and blood disorders programs under one roof at Seattle Children’s — making it easier for patients and their families to receive the same exceptional and compassionate care from the dedicated teams at both organizations.
The new CBDC/BMT outpatient clinics feature patient-centric designs with a ‘universal room’ concept where all services are coordinated and come to the patient. Many CBDC patients have between 3-7 separate appointments in one day, so this new model allows patients and families to have a ‘home’ for the day while they receive multidisciplinary team and consult visits, blood draws, infusion and follow-up tests.
“Patients will receive all the care they need in the same room, instead of shuttling to different appointments in several places,” says Dr. Mignon Loh, division chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy at Seattle Children’s and director of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “It’s a new paradigm, and it shows how Seattle Children’s is at the forefront of improving the patient experience.”
CBDC has 39 new universal patient rooms and Forest B will be the outpatient home for all of Seattle Children’s oncology and hematology patients including children, teens and young adults with cancers like leukemia, brain, and solid tumors, as well as blood disorders like sickle cell disease, bleeding disorders and thalassemia. These new, modern spaces at Forest B enhance Seattle Children’s ability to provide seamless, coordinated care specific to each child’s unique needs and relentlessly pursue better treatments for the toughest pediatric cases.
It also presents an opportunity to shorten the bridge between research and clinical settings. This aligns with Dr. Loh’s vision of accelerating the cancer and blood disorders research program underway within the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research and Seattle Children’s Therapeutics, so new opportunities become available to Seattle Children’s patients worldwide. Models of care can be transformed to improve lives of patients with cancer and blood disorders.
Features within CBDC were heavily influenced by patient input. Visitors will find an interactive map that allows workforce members and families to locate each other on the floor, and a TV that livestreams the San Diego Zoo. There are also family nourishment areas and a dedicated gathering space staffed by Child Life and play specialists where patients, parents and siblings can step away from anything happening clinically.
CBDC is one of the top-ranked programs of its kind in the United States and provides exceptional and compassionate care, novel therapies and lifesaving treatments to achieve the best outcomes, grounded by a focus on family-centered care and health equity. This dedicated space in Forest B nearly doubles CBDC’s clinical outpatient capacity and expands Seattle Children’s ability to treat more patients to meet the growing need for services in the region.
Watch this video to learn more about our reimagined Cancer & Blood Disorders Center
Resources
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center – Seattle Children’s (seattlechildrens.org)
- Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program – Seattle Children’s (seattlechildrens.org)
- Seattle Children’s Therapeutics (seattlechildrens.org)
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute (seattlechildrens.org)
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research – Seattle Children’s (seattlechildrens.org)
- Forest B Video Tour: Growing for Future Grown Ups – YouTube
