(December 10, 2013) Jackson, Tenn.- Water

That’ s the overall theme of the Alice and Carl Kirkland Cancer Center located next to the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. There was a special touring of the center before the ribbon cutting scheduled to take place later this week. 

While it is a service of the aforementioned hospital, it doesn’t look like what you would normally expect a hospital to look like. It looks like a spa. 

The modern architectural look of the outside of the building mirrors the flowing motif of the inside of the circular center. 

The straight lines give way to rounded edges, warm light radiates throughout the center’s bright lights, and the typical beige colors you’d expect have been replaced with softer and more earthy colors. And this is just the lobby.

In the serenity garden, walled off from view of West Forest Street, stands the Tree of Life. This steel tree has multi-colored leaves. On these leaves are plates for names for people to honor their loved ones. 

The the lit tree stands solitary in a fountain with water flowing from the base into a small pool. The garden is next to the Chapel and the patient resource center. 

Also located on the first floor, the radiation oncology suite. The center does away with the tile flooring you’ve come to expect and replaced it with carpet and hard-wood look floors.

The radiation machines themselves are open as well. The table the patient lays on as well as the machine that provides the radiation, the Varian, rotate to provide accurate radiation treatment. The machine can rotate around the patient while treating at the same time.

The second floor is home to the administrative suites, the in-house laboratory, and the chemotherapy suites. 

The chemotherapy bays are designed for patient comfort. The chairs have heating and massage functions and are placed in a semi-private bay with a television, and a seat for the patients supporter or family member. 

There are also beds in the back for those that cannot sit up and an open room with multiple chairs for socialization during treatment. 

At the exit to the chemotherapy area sits a giant gong. The gong is for patients who have completed their last round of chemotherapy to give a celebratory sounding.

The third floor houses the clinic and exam rooms. Doctors have hallways behind patient rooms that lead to one side of patient rooms. Patients are in a separate hallway. This way, there are no doctors in the patient hallways and patient privacy can be protected. 

Though the big things are important, it’s the small touches that prove that every aspect has been thought through. For example, the scales are built into the floor so that the patients don’t have to step up. Not only is that thinking about the patient, it’s good design. 

President and CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare Bobby Arnold explains their design methodology. 

This isn’t the first piece of modern architectural design that West Tennessee Healthcare has constructed in Jackson. The Lift Center in Downtown Jackson also fits the bill. Arnold explains the thought behind bringing modern architecture to Jackson.

The facility flows with its thoughtful architectural choices, warm lighting and colors, and small touches here and there for the patients. This flowing facility truly achieves the theme of water. 

­