KANSAS CITY, Kan. (February 10, 2009) – A 7,500 square foot addition will be opened Monday, February 16, for the Blood and Marrow Transplant program at The University of Kansas Hospital's Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion in Westwood. The BMT program is coming off three years of explosive growth and the addition was necessitated to meet the expanding need.
The University of Kansas Hospital BMT program was established in 1977 and has pioneered advancements in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation in the Kansas City area. In July 2007 the hospital teamed with the Kansas City Cancer Center to create the region's largest BMT program. The program grew by 94 percent in 2007 and another 52 percent in 2008, making space an issue even though the facilities at the Westwood campus were just 18 months old.
Included in the new area will be seven exam rooms, 10 treatment areas, five limited access rooms, two nursing stations, a consultation room, team center and offices for support staff. Among the safety features is a separate entrance just off the elevator for patients who need separate space due to compromised immune systems. These patients can take the entrance directly to the treatment rooms.
Jeff Wright, executive director of cancer services said, "Not only is it beautiful, but the spaces are designed for optimum efficiency in patient care. One of the most important features of the new spaces is its ability to allow enhanced communication among all the health care providers supporting these highly complex patients."
Joseph McGuirk, D.O., medical director of the BMT program said, "The new outpatient Blood and Marrow Transplant unit is a remarkably beautiful setting, built completely around serving patient's needs. This state of the art unit will significantly further our efforts to provide the most safe and efficient care in a patient friendly environment possible."
The University of Kansas Hospital BMT program also recently completed its first cord blood transplant, an advancement that holds promise for more patients in the future. Umbilical cord blood is one of three sources for the blood-forming cells used in transplants. The other two sources are bone marrow and peripheral (circulating) blood. Umbilical cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born. This blood is rich in blood-forming cells. The donated cord blood is tested, frozen and stored at a cord blood bank for future use.
"This was the first successful adult cord blood transplant performed in Kansas City. Cord blood transplantation represents a potentially life-saving treatment strategy for many patients with blood born cancers, such as leukemia, who do not have an appropriate match in the family or the world-wide unrelated donor registry," McGuirk said.
The University of Kansas Hospital is the region's premier academic medical center, providing a full range of care. The hospital is affiliated with the University of Kansas Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health, and their various leading edge research projects. The constantly growing facility contains 574 staffed beds and serves more than 21,000 inpatients annually.
The hospital has received Magnet nursing designation, reflecting the quality of care throughout the hospital, an honor awarded to only 3.5 percent of the hospitals nationwide. The hospital also houses the region's only burn center and the area's only nationally accredited Level I Trauma Center.
The University of Kansas Hospital is a partner with the University of Kansas Medical Center in the pursuit of NCI designation.