The spirit of collaboration and healing runs through the new Penn State Hershey Medical Center Cancer Institute. The facility recently won the Generative Space Health Improvement Award through the CARITAS Project, which promotes the evolution of the healthcare experience through technology and environment.
The 182,000-square-foot cancer institute is designed to give patients and families a relaxing environment that bridges between application and research. The lower levels offer clinical functions while the upper two floors house research and development, aspiring to create a unique form of on-site collaboration between the two. Within the center, a central atrium is designed to create spontaneous encounter and encourage interaction amongst the different departments of the center. Also featured are a healing garden for patients, a courtyard for visitors, and a children’s activity garden for the future Children’s Hospital.
Judges for the award noted that the facility “provides innovation and documentation of how they have succeeded to promote collaboration and communication, recognizing the variety of needs for privacy and community of cancer patients.”
