It All Starts With You at the New Adult Outpatient Pavilion

During the design of newly built Adult Outpatient Pavilion, we kept patient access, comfort and convenience top of mind.

From parking challenges to specialties scattered across several buildings, our outpatient experience in recent years has lacked comfort or convenience. It needed a central location — and much more space. After spending years listening to and learning from the Richmond community, we aimed to build the best home for the best care — and outpatient experience — in the region.

“At VCU Health, we keep our patients at the center of everything we do. An innovative facet of this building was that we included patients in every step — from the architectural design throughout the build, to the implementation and the opening of the building,” says Nathan Cunningham, MPH, Director of Patient Experience at VCU Health.

How to make every individual patient feel welcome

So, what does it look like to build a facility that can treat thousands of patients a day while still managing to make each patient feel like their individual experience matters? Starting from your arrival, the Adult Outpatient Pavilion makes accessing care as seamless as possible, no matter your mode of transportation. Right off I-95, the new building is located conveniently at the corner of North 10th and East Leigh streets with an entrance a few steps away from a Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) bus stop. There are also dedicated pickup and drop-off zones for patients needing a ride. We’ve alleviated the stress of parking downtown as you can easily pull into one of the more than 1,000 parking spaces on the seven-story, 4,000-square-foot parking deck, protected from inclement weather. If you’re in a rush or need additional care, select valet services are also available.

We aim to make our patients feel they’re in a welcoming environment from the moment they arrive to the time they leave. Upon entering the pavilion, you’ll be greeted by Patient Access Representatives who can provide a personal check-in experience and answer any questions you may have. You can also opt to use one of the many self-check-in kiosks, just one aspect of our comprehensive technology investments. Then, you’ll be prompted by staff or wayfinding cues to the dedicated waiting areas near the care and exam rooms. Each of these intentional details aims to help our patients flow through their visit. For oncology patients, there’s a separate entrance and elevator for these immunocompromised patients, which take them to the first six floors of the Adult Outpatient Pavilion, all dedicated to the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

How we designed a healing space

To warm up the environment, we brought the therapeutic beauty of the outdoors, inside. In waiting rooms filled with natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, patients can take in views of Richmond while they wait for care. Original artwork and photography of natural scenes throughout Virginia span entire walls in atriums. Even ceiling panels in imaging and diagnostic exam rooms feature starry skies, sunlit cherry blossom trees or fluffy white clouds.

From yoga classes to acupuncture to support groups, our integrative health center will provide additional therapeutic experiences. There’s also a conference center to foster larger moments of collaboration and conversation, and additional smaller conference spaces throughout the building for care team meetings among patients and providers. Our café on the first floor also provides a space for patients and staff to relax between appointments. The VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center features a new wig salon as well as a dedicated family lounge for cancer patients.

How a building’s design can improve the clinical experience

Perhaps one of the greatest services we’ve provided to our clinicians and patients with this new building is bringing 26 outpatient specialties — including neurology, urology, oncology, dermatology, orthopedics and OB/GYN — all under one roof. The proximity of services allows patients to flow through their care journey with ease and ensures clinical collaboration through intentional design.

“Our clinicians are now all in a physically aligned space, so it opens the door for a more integrated care flow model in an even grander way, since the space itself is spectacular,” says Doug Arthur, M.D., Florence and Hyman Meyers Chair in Radiation Oncology, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Every floor offers dedicated spaces for patients and clinicians to meet with one another, to bring their friends or families for consultations, or to have multidisciplinary clinical consultations.”

With so many specialties under a single roof, including brand-new advanced imaging and diagnostic technology, a lab, and two on-site retail pharmacies, patients can address many of their care needs in one visit. Extended hours and weekend options for imaging services afford patients even further flexibility. To navigate easily between all these services, we are launching Way Finder, a handy app to guide patients not just directly to their appointments within the building, but also to any other amenity across campus.

Each of the 615,000 square feet of the Adult Outpatient Pavilion was intentionally designed to facilitate a trusted and caring experience for our patients, staff and the entire Richmond community. We can’t wait to welcome you here.