Breaking New Ground – The New Cancer Center at The Hospital of Central Connecticut

May 13, 2014 By Hartford HealthCare

For the past several months, construction crews have been busily clearing and excavating a spacious parcel of land right on the town line between New Britain and Plainville. The mounds of rubble have given way to an inviting facade of stone and glass that is poised to become the gateway to the most comprehensive and convenient resource for cancer patients in the region: the new Hospital of Central Connecticut Cancer Center.

Once construction of the new center is completed, we expect to open its doors to the public by spring of next year – marking another major step in the evolution of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute.

The center sits on over nine acres on an elevated parcel that looks out over Interstate 84. The building, which is divided between the cancer center functions and a suite of medical offices, covers over 90,000 square feet on two levels. The architectural design features welcoming open space, including a lobby fireplace that will serve as a warm focal centerpiece. Just as important, the design will be highlighted by a logical flow that will make it easy for patients to navigate from one service to the next.

Those services will be far-ranging. From a comprehensive breast center to complete diagnostic, pharmacy and lab services, the center will offer the most advanced and sophisticated technologies available to patients today, including a series of vaulted radiation oncology rooms custom-fitted for Novalis and other true beam linear accelerator technologies .

There will be surgical resources, a suite for medical imaging including PET/CT, MRI, 64-slice CAT SCAN, diagnostic radiology and bone densitometry. A series of medical oncology infusion bays will feature individual high-definition televisions for patients to enjoy.

Patient comfort, and an understanding and appreciation for the challenges our patients face, will be a unifying theme for the facility. The center will feature a boutique, a gift shop and a cafeteria and, in a wooded area behind the building, there will be a pond with a healing garden and foot paths for reflection and commemoration.

Anyone who has seen the now-completed exterior of the building knows how expansive it will be. But it’s in the inside where our Institute’s cancer care providers will really break new ground.