DF/BWCC Celebrates Opening of 110 Private Beds
During the past year and a half, Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant units have undergone renovations and moves to create 110 private patient rooms, upgraded telemetry equipment and transitioned from a paper medical record to the hospital’s eMAR system.
“The team that makes up the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center has done a tremendous amount of work to make this happen,” said Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN, senior vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer. “Through all of these changes, they have continued to receive outstanding feedback from the patients they serve—a true testament to their care and compassion.”
The 110 private patient rooms in Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant are located on Tower 4BC, 5AB, 6ABCD, 12C, and 7AB—a brand new unit.
Katie Fillipon, MS, RN, OCN, Nursing director of 7AB, worked to hire 16 nurses for the new unit, and most of the Oncology clinical nursing staff served as preceptors for these newly hired nurses.
“The preceptors were great because they were learning new technology themselves and teaching others at the same time,” Fillipon said. “Our new staff on 7AB are thriving, and that’s a credit to the staff who taught them.”
Cassie McKenney, BSN, RN, was one of the nurses joining 7AB and orienting with preceptor Nancy Vazquez, RN, on Tower 6. “I feel so lucky to be here,” said the newly-licensed nurse. “It was a little scary starting on a new unit because none of us knew each other, but everyone has been very supportive and encourages me to ask questions.”
Through all the changes, care providers in Oncology have remained focused on providing excellent patient care. “The nursing staff have been incredibly resilient to all of these changes, and we couldn’t have reached this point without their support,” said Fillipon.
Patients have noticed. To thank staff for maintaining their commitment to high quality care while units underwent moves and renovations, the DF/BWCC Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council hosted a special celebration with cake in February.
“You do an amazing job in maintaining the utmost in quality care for our patients,” said Ellen Frank, PhD, a leukemia patient and the senior co-chair of the DF/BWCC Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council, who visits regularly with bone marrow transplant patients. “There is not one patient whom I have spoken to who hasn’t said the care you give is extraordinary.”
The ability for patients and families to have private rooms during their journeys with cancer is important, as evidenced by the reaction that Janet Porter received when she told the Patient and Family Advisory Council that there would be 110 private beds.
“People cried, and people broke into applause,” said Porter, the chief operating officer for DFCI. “I wish you all could have been there.”