Children's Hospital opens new, expanded Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, with patient and family experience at the center, as part of $300 million campus transformation

The 10,000+ square foot center brings together all hematology oncology services, including a spacious new infusion center and outpatient clinic, in an environment expertly designed for kids and families receiving specialized care for childhood cancers and blood disorders.

NEW ORLEANS – The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Hospital New Orleans treats more than 1,100 children with cancer or blood disorders each year, more than all other facilities in Louisiana combined. This month, Children’s Hospital completed the expansion of its nationally known hematology/ oncology program, co-locating all inpatient, outpatient, and infusion services into one, comprehensive center.

“The new facilities now match the level of care provided for decades by our expert team of hematology oncology physicians and staff here at Children’s Hospital,” says John R. Nickens IV, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “The spacious new center offers a more comprehensive approach to care, allowing our staff and providers to provide seamless, integrated care for our patients with cancer and blood disorders, in a family-centered environment.”

The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Hospital provides treatment and transplantation for children with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, and other childhood cancers and blood disorders. Children’s Hospital is the only accredited pediatric facility in the state, performing bone marrow transplants and actively conducting cancer research on therapies at the forefront of medicine. The center also has the largest, most experienced group of pediatric cancer specialists in the region, staffed by faculty from LSU Health New Orleans and Tulane Pediatrics.

The co-location of space in a custom-built environment, designed just for kids, now incorporates all specialty clinics into one cohesive space, located adjacent to the inpatient hematology oncology unit. The all-new hematology oncology outpatient clinic comprises 10,880 square feet, and features 16 spacious exam rooms. Connected to the clinic, an all-new infusion center houses nine open infusion bays along with two private infusion rooms for those children who are severely immunocompromised or require isolation.

“It’s the little touches that make the new center such a special environment for healing. Now our space matches the excellence of our care team,” says Raymond Watts, MD, Head of the Department of Pediatrics for LSU Health New Orleans and Interim Service Line Chief for Hematology and Oncology at Children’s Hospital.

“Patients and families are greeted by light, texture and soothing colors inspired by our healing themes of music and nature,” says Lynn Winfield, MBA, BSN, RN, CPHON, Director, Hematology Oncology at Children’s Hospital. “Child friendly artwork, and features like televisions in each infusion bay, help alleviate some of the stress and concern that can occur during treatment.”

Children's Hospital's cancer program is accredited with Outstanding Achievement by the American College of Surgeons and is a long-time member of the Children's Oncology Group (COG), a national study group of premier research institutes in the United States and Canada.

Since 2008, Children’s Hospital’s Bone Marrow Transplant Program has served as the only pediatric FACT-accredited program in Louisiana, providing this service to children in Louisiana who may need a stem cell transplant without the need to leave the state. The Pediatric Survivorship and Late Effects program was established in 2012 and continues to provide multidisciplinary care for all survivors. More recently, Children’s has developed the Adolescent & Young Adult Program for Oncology (AYAO) in collaboration with the LCMC Health adult hospitals to deliver state-of-the-art care for this special subset of patients.

Children's Hospital also received accreditation from the Department of Health and Human Services as a federally recognized Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC), to provide comprehensive multispecialty care to Louisiana children with all types of bleeding disorders. Similarly, Children’s Sickle Cell Program offers a comprehensive care to the largest Pediatric sickle cell population statewide.

Learn more about the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Hospital at chnola.org.

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About Children’s Hospital New Orleans

Children’s Hospital New Orleans is a 222-bed, non-profit academic pediatric medical center that offers comprehensive healthcare services, including over 40 pediatric specialties, delivered just for children. With more than 400 physicians trained in more than 40 pediatric sub-specialties, Children’s offers a comprehensive array of pediatric healthcare services in Louisiana and the Gulf South. In addition to its main campus located in New Orleans, the hospital operates a network of specialty clinics across Louisiana and in Southern Mississippi, including in Covington, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. Children’s Hospital offers primary care services at 14 convenient locations throughout Southeast Louisiana and remotely via its Virtual Care for Kids program. Children’s Hospital is a proud member of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system which also includes New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, West Jefferson Medical Center, and East Jefferson General Hospital.