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United Hospital Center's $1.1 Million Expansion and Renovation of Cancer Center Essentially Complete

By Jeff Toquinto on February 11, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

From her beginnings roughly two decades ago at the former United Hospital Center on Davisson Run Road in Clarksburg to her time today at the still relatively new facility on Jerry Dove Drive in Bridgeport, Linda Carte’s sole mission was directed at the best possible experience for those utilizing the facility.
 
As she rose up the ranks and today serves as the Vice President of Cancer Services and Post Acute Care, the mission hasn’t changed. Because of that, Carte’s already enthusiastic self triggers to an even higher level when she talked about a recent project that is essentially complete at UHC. And it’s a project she and all involved hope you never have to use, but knows it’s been done to help ease the experience for those that do.
 
A $1.1 million project renovation of the Cecil B. Highland, Jr.  & Barbara B. Highland Cancer Center that was announced nearly eight months ago is in the books. The end result, said Carte, is a cancer center that can meet nearly every need and do so in a more efficient manner.
 
“We want our patients, their families and their loved ones to know how much we value them and that we know they’re entrusting themselves and their lives to us,” said Carte, RN, MSN, AOCN. “It’s a matter of respect and a courtesy to them and again to show the patients value that when they need us that we’re ready for them.
 
“To not have to sit and wonder and worry (upon arrival) anymore and tell them to come on back and we hope that person that can tell them that immediately becomes a person they can trust,” Carte continued. “We want them to trust that they’re in good hands.”
 
A big part of cutting down on the wait for cancer center patients was increasing the amount of areas for immediate care. The infusion area went from the original 10 spaces to 26, there’s been a jump in exam rooms from eight to 13 and the registration area was consolidated to one single space for an easier experience. There’s much more including ways to more quickly do lab work directly in the cancer center, a private outdoor section for relaxation and getting people into the system by use of bar code scanning.
 
“The number of physicians are the same, but we’ve added a nurse practitioner,” said Carte. “ … This (project) makes a difference to the physicians to move freely to the rooms their patients are in and they believe it makes for a smoother doctor’s visit.”
 
The practitioner provides peace of mind for the patients, said Carte. Now, a cancer patient can call in and talk to the nurse practitioner who may advise them what to do, to come to the hospital and from there the practitioner can determine if they need to see one of UHC’s three oncologists or another medical professional.
 
“Now that UHC owns the entire spectrum of services, renovations were necessary in order to provide seamless care to our cancer patients,” said Carte.
 
The project isn’t the biggest since UHC opened in Bridgeport in 2010. In April of 2015, UHC opened the $15 million Bruce Carter United Orthopaedic and Spine Center on the main campus. While that one was an addition to the complex, this was a renovation and expansion.
 
Carte said the renovation wasn’t the result of being shortsighted. Rather, it’s part of growth and meeting patient’s needs. And it starts with lab work.
 
“We realized that the right thing to do for the patient was to have them come right into the cancer center, get their blood drawn and work on processes that help us get that information from their lab results as quickly as possible,” said Carte. “That piece of work we didn’t build into the initial plan.”
 
One thing no one could foresee was how much use the cancer center would see, and as it turned out the number proved high. With a tremendous amount of growth through patients putting their trust in local doctors from the regional area and even out of state, expansion and renovation became more need than want.
 
“It just became clear, from the labs to the infusion spaces and more, that the right thing to do on behalf of the patients was to move forward with a renovation and expansion,” she said.
 
A few more items are being added to the mix before it’s officially complete. One of those is an area in the waiting room for children with a small play area. Other finishing touches won’t likely be noted by those that utilize the facility, but should be completed in the very near future.
 
Carte said, so far, the feedback has been positive from the one are that matter the most – the patients.
 
“I saw a gentleman the other day who has spent a couple of minutes with me in the past and more than once told me we had outgrown our space and asked me what were we going to do about it. I recently saw him in the hallway … and asked him what he thought and he said ‘I think you guys got it right.’ The patients say it best that we believe we got this right,” said Carte. “We’re trying to make sure we get everything right with our cancer care.”
 
Ironically, in July when the project was becoming public knowledge, UHC was selected by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as one of nearly 200 physician group practices to participate in a care delivery model that supports and encourages higher quality, more coordinated cancer care. The goal with that is to get things right.
 
UHC will continue participation in the model for five years from 2017 forward. You can read about HERE.
 
Marks-Landau Construction, which is a subsidiary of Landau Building Company that handles the majority of Landau Building Company’s projects in West Virginia, did the work. Landau Building is based in western Pennsylvania.
 
Editor's Note: Linda Carte is shown above where lab work can be done and sent immediately for processing, while the second photo shows the outdoor area for patients, which can be and will be covered in warm weather months. Third photo shows Gary Arnett, RTT working with a linear accelerator inside the cancer center, while the expanded waiting room is shown below.


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