Loyola University receives funds to renovate bone marrow transplant unit

Loyola University Medical Center has received a $2 million matching grant from The Coleman Foundation to renovate the hospital's nationally known bone marrow transplant unit. Intended to encourage private donations for the project, the grant will match gifts up to $2 million on a dollar for dollar basis, through August 2010.

The bone marrow transplant unit is part of a patient care initiative to redesign and renovate a complete Oncology Acute Care Center on the sixth floor of Loyola University Hospital. One of the center's four wings will be devoted to bone marrow transplant patients and their families. Patients typically stay on the wing for three to four weeks.

The project will include the conversion of patient rooms to private from semi-private as well as the addition of exercise equipment in patient rooms; a group exercise room; a meditation room and a family room where family members can cook meals, watch movies and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones. Additionally, new air filtration systems will allow for more efficient use of hospital space and enable patient access to additional therapeutic programs.

The total cost of the new design and renovation will be $15 million. Loyola already has raised $10 million from individual donors, including $5 million from the Donald P. and Byrd M. Kelly Foundation. Loyola will raise an additional $2 million from private donors to match The Coleman Foundation's $2 million grant. Loyola University Medical Center will provide the remaining $1 million.

"Through the generosity of The Coleman Foundation and others, we will be able to create an environment that supports care of the mind, body and spirit for patients and their families," said Dr. Patrick Stiff, Coleman Professor of Oncology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and director of Loyola's Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center.

The new bone marrow transplant wing will be named The Coleman Foundation Bone Marrow Transplant Center. "Since the 1980's, The Coleman Foundation has actively funded programs to improve access to quality cancer care in the Midwest," said Michael Hennessy, president and CEO of The Coleman Foundation. "Our prior grants to LUMC have focused on better outpatient services and research capabilities. The Foundation's goals for this infrastructure investment include substantial gains in the delivery of patient care, especially in bone marrow transplantation services."

The Chicago-based Coleman Foundation is a private, independent grantmaker that focuses on the Midwest and supports education, cancer care and services for the disabled. The foundation previously funded Loyola's Coleman Foundation Image Renewal Center, which uses specially trained staff to provide products and services for cancer patients, such as breast prosthesis fittings, hair alternatives and skin care products. The foundation also established the Coleman Professorship in Oncology, which helps support the ongoing work and research of Dr. Stiff and the cancer center.

Loyola has treated more patients with transplants than any other center in Illinois, and has one of the largest unrelated donor transplant programs in the world. Loyola physicians have performed more than 2,500 transplants for patients with such cancers as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Patients receive high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill cancer cells. Because these treatments also destroy immune system cells, patients are infused with stem cells derived from bone marrow or umbilical cord blood. These stem cells develop into new immune cells.

Loyola specializes in patients who can not find matching donors from either their families or the National Marrow Donor Program. Loyola receives referrals from throughout the Midwest, including other academic medical centers in Chicago. Stiff is among the first researchers to use umbilical cord donations for the treatment of certain adult cancers.

The redesign and renovation of the Oncology Acute Care Center will include:

• Private patient rooms with exercise equipment and plenty of space for family members to spend the night.
• An exercise room where patients can perform their required twice-daily exercises.
• A family room with a galley kitchen, wireless internet access and computers with webcams.
• A meditation room for reflection, prayer and private discussions.
• Relocation of the bone marrow transplant unit to an area more isolated from corridor traffic and noise.
• A centralized and expanded nursing station to provide patients and families with a one-stop location for registration and other services.
• Consult rooms where patients and family members can meet with doctors, nurses and other health care staff.
• A soothing ambiance, including artwork and waterfall features.

"This innovative redesign, with its home-like amenities, will provide a much more comforting environment for patients and their families," said Heidi Huizenga, a two-time cancer survivor and member of the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center's Visiting Committee.