Expanding Specialized Cancer Care
This expanded urgent care environment increases treatment capacity while creating a calm, efficient setting for cancer patients with acute medical needs.
Memorial Hospital Urgent Care
New York, New York
Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center provides highly specialized cancer care, bringing together clinicians, researchers, and support services focused on the needs of people undergoing cancer treatment. At Memorial Hospital, its Urgent Care Center provides around-the-clock care for patients experiencing acute medical issues related to cancer or its treatment, connecting them with clinicians who understand their diagnosis and care plan.
To accommodate growing demand for these specialized services, MSK needed to expand the Urgent Care Center within the constraints of its existing hospital. EwingCole designed a 10,500-square-foot expansion on Level 3 of the Haupt Building, adding 25 private treatment rooms, including three airborne infection isolation rooms, as well as centralized staff work areas and comprehensive clinical support spaces.
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Extending the Care Model
The new floor functions as a seamless extension of the existing Level 1 department. Patients continue to arrive, check in, and wait within the established Urgent Care Center before staff escorts them via the existing elevator bank directly to Level 3. This strategy preserves a familiar, intuitive arrival process while enabling MSK to leverage existing infrastructure and significantly increase clinical capacity.
A centrally organized clinical core places staff work areas and support functions within immediate reach of treatment rooms. Generous openings and sliding glass doors improve visibility and connectivity across the unit, supporting efficient circulation and communication in a high-acuity care environment.
Designing for Reassurance
The interior balances the clinical demands of urgent cancer care with a warmer, patient-centered experience. Natural wood tones, warm colors, integrated artwork, and carefully composed lighting soften the clinical setting and establish a distinctly non-institutional character.
Together, the planning and interior design create an efficient treatment environment that expands access to specialized urgent cancer care while providing patients with privacy, comfort, and reassurance during vulnerable moments in their treatment journey.
