Children's Hospitals Today - Winter 2018 - 8

ROUNDS / INNOVATION

A space of their own
Bridge the care gap for adolescents and young adults who face
life-changing cancer diagnoses.
BY MENISA MARSHALL

or 20-year-old cancer patient Samantha Buchanan, a
new cancer unit for teens and young adults has helped
her feel at home at Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville,
Kentucky. After being diagnosed at age 19 with osteosarcoma,
a bone cancer found more often in younger than older patients, Buchanan spent many nights at Norton Children's. She

says being in a room without clowns on the walls helps people
her age feel like "this is where we're supposed to be."
Teens and young adults with cancer often fall into a
gap between the typical care model for children and for
adults. Cancer specialists know that patients between ages
15 and 39-defined as AYA (adolescent and young adult)

DATA DIVE
MERGER COULD RESHAPE CARE

If the $69 billion Aetna/CVS Health
merger goes through, it would combine
the largest U.S. drugstore chain with
the third-largest insurer-the biggest
health care merger in history. This
could transform CVS's storefronts
into community medical hubs where
Aetna provides care directly to patients.
Here's a look at the numbers.

patients-have care needs that can go unmet. Some of those
needs are physical; others may be social, emotional, psychological and spiritual. Age-appropriate resources and support
are critical when it comes to meeting these needs and taking on cancer. That's why Norton Children's dedicated a new
space specially designed for AYA cancer patients.
The AYA unit is located within the Addison Jo Blair Cancer
Care Center and represents a $300,000 investment made possible through the support of several donors. The 2,000-squarefoot space is separated from the larger cancer care unit by
double doors. It includes patient rooms, quiet space and a
lounge area for social interaction among patients and visitors.
Buchanan says the lounge is a great idea since high school and
college-age patients often have groups of visitors. "I'd sometimes have six to seven friends at a time drop by to hang out,
which is pretty hard to do in a small patient room," she says.
Joseph M. Flynn, D.O., MPH, executive director and
physician-in-chief at the Norton Cancer Institute, credited an
advisory committee of current and past patients for providing
design input. Their efforts are reflected in the amenities, colors, furniture and decorations in the new space. "This reflects
our commitment to care, not just for the body, but the person
within," he says. "We're here to meet the needs of adolescents
and young adults, and be with them every step of the way."
Menisa Marshall is on the public relations team at Norton
Children's Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.
Share your hospital's innovation. Email magazine@childrenshospitals.org.

Aetna and CVS Health by the numbers

MILLION
Aetna customers

9,600

CVS Health stores

1,100

CVS walk-in clinics

MILLION

People covered by CVS
Health's pharmacy benefit
Sources: CVS Health, Aetna

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL S TODAY Winter 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Winter 2018