Patient comfort, convenience keystones of new offices

For patients receiving cancer treatments, staying close to home and near family support is vital. The recent addition of a new Beacon Medical Group oncology practice and the expansion of Elkhart General Hospital’s infusion therapy center are enriching oncology services to meet the community’s growing needs.

Coming soon to the first floor of the Decio Pavilion off of Highland Avenue on the Elkhart General campus, the new offices will offer a comfortable and welcoming setting for patients and their families.

The expanded outpatient infusion center will open in December, moving from its current location in the basement of the hospital. Beacon Medical Group Oncology Elkhart will move from the RiverPointe office building to the hospital in January.

Kim Greising, left, and Kelsey Hay stand in the expansion of Elkhart General Hospital’s infusion therapy center, currently under construction.

“Our first priority is always the patient,” Kim Greising, director, Elkhart General oncology patient care services, said. “These enhancements are bringing our vision for expanding exceptional experiences for our patients into reality.”

Thoughtful convenience begins before patients enter the infusion suite. They will register onsite without having to travel to the hospital’s main admitting department, and both laboratory and pharmacy services will be located within the suite. The pharmacy is state-of-the-art: an enclosed, sterile environment in which to prepare complex chemotherapies.

Patient feedback helped guide plans for the new infusion center. Twice the size of the current facility, natural light from a wall of windows floods the space. Each treatment bay will include a comfortable recliner, guest chair and a television. Three private rooms will be offered to patients with longer treatment times.

Just steps away, Uzair Saqlain, MD, M. Omer Toor, MD, FACP, and Jackie Lenfestey-Demont, NP, will see patients in the new Beacon Medical Group Oncology Elkhart office. The office will include a consultation room and six exam rooms, each with patient-friendly exam tables equipped with hydraulics to fully adjust for comfort.

“Each room will have a monitor for sharing recent imaging results with the patient,” said supervisor Kelsey Hay. “Whiteboards in the rooms will support patient learning and communication, which is essential for collaboration in their treatment plans.”

“We want care to be very convenient for patients,” Hay added. “That’s why both areas will be working so closely together. Ultimately, we are both one in the care of our patients.”