East Jefferson General Hospital Expanding Cancer Center

To accommodate an increasing number of oncology patients, East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie recently began a multimillion-dollar construction project that will add a third story to its cancer treatment center, both modernizing and expanding the center’s oncology capabilities. The third story will be added to the Yenni Treatment Center, located on the hospital’s campus at 4200 Houma Blvd., Metairie.

It will house the Outpatient Oncology Infusion Center, currently located on the second floor, and triple its daily patient capacity for chemotherapy treatment.

“It’s very important our treatment center is really top-notch. We need to expand because as the population ages, we see more cancer,” Dr. Paul Monsour, a radiation oncologist at EJGH, said.

The construction will expand the infusion center from approximately 3,300 square feet to 11,000 square feet and provide major enhancements such as new chemotherapy infusion stations, more exam rooms, a multimedia conference room, and a cancer resource library.

The current infusion center holds only eight chairs and provides little to no privacy for patients, but the new area will incorporate 22 semi-private infusion stations, each featuring a specialized recliner and state-of-the-art clinical equipment.

“Treatment areas for chemo will be bigger, more comfortable, more private, but patients will still be able to talk to each other,” Monsour said.

The multimedia conference room will allow physicians and care providers to host presentations and easily consult with other specialists through video conferencing.

Sizeler Thompson Brown was the architect on this project.

Patients will also have access to computers and the most current research and educational materials in the cancer research library.

Dr. Paul MonsourWith the infusion center moving to the third floor, the second floor will house the medical oncologists’ offices.

Currently, the construction project is set to conclude at the end of this year. The hospital already hired more oncologists to handle the larger patient capacity that will exist when the new infusion center opens.

The EJGH Foundation funded the first phase of the project with a $3 million capital campaign that raised money from donors within the community, but the foundation is still seeking additional donations to fund the second phase.

Monsour said that the new treatment center will be a “one-stop-shop” for cancer treatment.

“It will increase what we do per day in a more efficient and comfortable fashion for the patient,” he said.