There are no longer cancer services at Tom Baker Cancer Centre / Holy Cross. See news release.
As of October 28, outpatients receiving cancer care in Calgary should visit the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre for all appointments.
Patients and families are at the heart of everything we do at AHS. When designing the Arthur Child, we listened to hundreds of staff, patients, and family members. Their ideas helped us create a building that makes it easier for patients and families to get the care they need in a comforting environment.
A group called the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) was formed in 2014. PFAC includes patients, families, and staff. They helped with many design choices, like making sure there is lots of natural light and patient spaces throughout the building.
Healing Environment | Family Centred Care | Focus on Entire Patient Journey | Building Wayfinding | Patient Safety
Studies have shown that natural light can reduce anxiety and stress, shorten hospital stays, and help patients heal faster. The Arthur Child was designed with this in mind. The centre was designed to maximize natural light in all areas and where artificial light is necessary, if possible, it mimics natural light and day/night cycle.
The entire building uses natural elements and pictures of locally inspired landscapes. Many rooms have views of the city, and patients can control light, sound, and temperature within their room. Many patient rooms have views of the outdoors, which can also help patients feel better.
Family and friends are an important part of a patient's care team. They can provide emotional support, help with daily tasks, and be a source of information for the medical staff. The Arthur Child recognizes the importance of family and friends by providing spaces for them to stay with patients.
There are special rooms where family members can sleep, shower, and relax. There is also a quiet space where patients and families can go to be together. This space can be used for relaxation, reflection, or simply spending time together.
The Arthur Child was designed to be easy for patients to navigate. The building is in the shape of a hug. The hallways are wide, with high ceilings and plenty of light. The building is also laid out in a logical way, with a courtyard in the middle, assisting with wayfinding.
The centre was designed to support the delivery of personalized and precision patient treatments by locating consulting rooms and multidisciplinary spaces throughout the care and treatment areas. This supports a feeling of expert care by making staff collaboration visible and transparent to patients and families. Information technology will be accessible near patient rooms, to promote knowledge sharing and foster seamless communication to the patient and coordinated care throughout the entirety of their journey.
The building is easy to find your way around in. There are signs, maps, colours and volunteers to help. The Arthur Child knows that it can be stressful for patients to find their way around a new hospital. That's why the centre has taken steps to make wayfinding as easy as possible.
The building has a clear and consistent signage system that makes it easy to find the department or clinic you need. There are also maps available throughout the centre. And if you get lost, there are always volunteers who can help you find your way.
Extensive steps were taken to keep patients safe by maximizing infection control. The centre has mostly single patient rooms with private washrooms, and hand hygiene stations were placed in strategic and frequent locations, so they are used more often.
The site incorporates measures to reduce trips and falls, such as handrails and shorter bed to washroom distances. The patient floors are laid out to ensure a clean line of sight between staff and patients and minimizing the need for patient transfers.
