Various components of the VA Oncology program were scattered throughout the Stratton VA Medical Center, and the VA recognized a need for consolidated space capable of addressing both the technical and administrative research functions of the project, as well as the humanistic aspects of treating severely ill patients.

Foremost among VA goals was providing an environment that was inviting and familiar to patients who spend up to four hours per day in treatment. Through extensive interaction with VA facilities staff and users, Hyman Hayes Associates developed a functional layout for the 10,400-sf, $690,000 renovation that accommodated special patient needs. Care was exercised to balance patient privacy needs with open, common spaces to encourage patient camaraderie and friendship.

For the interior design of the infusion suites, reception/waiting areas, and at limited locations of patient/public access, Hyman Hayes Associates proposed a decor markedly different from any previously used at the Center. Based on a concept that older patients would respond favorably to a less high-tech design, the design used raised paneling and wood moldings carried through to areas where patients would be spending the greatest amounts of time. At the infusion suites, a memorabilia shelf was incorporated to allow patients to contribute items to the space, providing familiar objects for com- fort and continuity as patients cycle through the treatment program.