By Annie Harris

With the opening of the Children’s Tower, Richmond’s new home for pediatric inpatient, emergency and trauma care, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) and VCU Massey Cancer Center’s inpatient and outpatient pediatric cancer care are finally housed under one roof.

The outpatient clinic is located in the adjacent Children’s Pavilion, which when combined with the Children’s Tower consolidates the region’s pediatric specialty care into one city block. The inpatient unit’s move will improve the health care experience for children and families accessing pediatric oncology services.

“Patients often show up at our clinic very sick and need to be directly admitted as an inpatient,” said India Yount Sisler, M.D., clinical director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at CHoR and Massey. “The proximity of the new inpatient space to the clinic will make it incredibly easy for families and providers to facilitate that move.”

That proximity will also improve pediatric oncology patients’ access to all the staff that practice in both spaces, including child life specialists, social workers and chaplains.

Advancing Virginia's pediatric cancer care

As Virginia’s largest and most comprehensive bone marrow transplant program, Massey was the first center in the commonwealth to offer bone marrow and stem cell transplantation to children with cancer.

Massey was also the first in Virginia to offer FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies for the treatment of adults and children with lymphoma and leukemia.

Pediatric bone marrow transplant patients have a dedicated space in the Children’s Tower. Previously, they shared an inpatient unit with adult transplant patients.

“Rather than providers having to travel to see our patients at several different locations around the hospital, pediatric cancer care will be consolidated in one space – which means a better experience for the patients, families and staff,” Sisler said.

Facilities are staffed exclusively by employees who have expertise in pediatrics, from CT-scanner technicians to nurses and anesthesiologists in the operating room.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve the experience and outcomes of our patients, whether that’s offering a specialized team of pediatric experts or providing access to the latest advances in technology and treatments through our clinical trials,” said Joseph Laver, M.D., M.H.A., professor and chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and endowed chair in pediatric cancer research at CHoR and Massey. “The opening of the new tower will be transformative for pediatric cancer care in Virginia.”

In addition to pediatric-specific operating rooms and imaging suites equipped with the latest advancements, the Children’s Tower creates a kid-friendly patient experience. Playrooms, teen lounges, and a family gym are among the many amenities available to make the environment more comfortable for kids and families. The tower also features all-private rooms with private bathrooms and dedicated spaces for caregivers to sleep during overnight stays.

“Since our outpatient clinic is near the entrance to the new tower, families have spent a lot of time watching the construction, and they are feeling a lot of excitement and anticipation,” Sisler said. “As a team, we all feel grateful and proud to work somewhere that’s investing so much in children’s services."

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