The Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has opened the first immediate cancer care center in Georgia, the Rollins Immediate Care Center of Winship. This new center provides cancer patients with immediate care from oncology-trained experts as opposed to visiting an emergency room.
The Rollins Immediate Care Center patients see oncologists, oncology nurses and nurse practitioners, who are trained to deliver specialized triage, diagnostics and treatments that are often unique to patients with cancer. While the emergency room, and hospitalization, may still be needed for oncology patients with more serious and complex issues, an immediate cancer care center can address less serious issues related to cancer that need pressing attention.
“With advancements made in cancer research, the model for cancer care delivery is advancing too,” says Matt Wain, chief executive officer of Emory University Hospital. “Specialized immediate care dedicated to the needs of patients with cancer is the model of the future, and we’re bringing that model to our patients at Emory University Hospital through The Rollins Immediate Care Center of Winship.”
Winship piloted the idea in 2020, creating a separate immediate care area to see and treat their oncology patients who had been exposed to COVID-19, or suspected they had been but received a $7 million investment from The Ma-Ran Foundation to make the center permanent. The investment includes an endowment of $3 million, which provides funding for a variety of research projects and programs designed to inform and improve the oncology patient experience.
The new center provides nine exam rooms and four treatment rooms. It was constructed in eight months and is located on the fourth floor of the Emory University Hospital Tower, adjacent to Winship’s Phase 1 Clinical Trials Unit and Winship Cellular Therapy Unit.
A second immediate cancer care facility is also planned for Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown, a new 17-story tower under construction and slated to open in spring 2023.
