Emory University Hospital Midtown and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (Winship) broke ground today on a new building designed to change the way cancer care is delivered to patients. The Winship at Emory Midtown facility, located on the campus of Emory University Hospital Midtown, is uniquely designed to put patients at the center of specialized care communities in order to deliver personalized cancer care aligned with Winship's innovative cancer research.
The new facility, comprising 17 stories and more than 450,000 square feet, is funded in part from a generous $400 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, with $200 million dedicated exclusively for the development of a new cancer care facility in Midtown Atlanta. The transformational gift, committed in 2018, is the largest ever received by Emory University. Winship at Emory Midtown brings together Emory University's excellence in scientific research with top-ranked hospital care in Georgia.
"The new Winship at Emory Midtown facility to be built on this site will be a visible reminder of Emory’s mission as a leading research university," says Emory President Claire E. Sterk. "It will remind us that innovation and compassion can come together on behalf of the greater good."
"Winship makes the best cancer care in the world available to Georgians right here at home. Winship at Emory Midtown will allow more Georgians to receive that care in a facility uniquely designed around the patient. Mr. Woodruff would be pleased," says P. Russell Hardin, president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.
Designed with input from patients, faculty and staff who will occupy the new building, Winship at Emory Midtown will be built around a patient’s needs and comfort, bringing all the necessary doctors, staff and services to the patient so the patient does not move from location to location. The new facility will house care communities focused on patients with specific types of cancer and consisting of clinical research, infusion facilities, clinical examination rooms and spaces for rehabilitation.
The building is expected to include 64 inpatient beds, 26 observation beds, as well as six operating rooms for both inpatient and outpatient procedures, a modern radiation oncology facility, and state-of-the-art imaging modalities.
"The planning of this unique facility has been a true team effort, with more than 160 care team members and patient and family advisers providing input on the facility's design and functionality to best support the needs of our patients," says Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, president, CEO and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare. "Winship at Emory Midtown will serve as a model for exceptional delivery of personalized cancer care aligned with training, research and discovery."
Winship at Emory Midtown will expand patient access to Winship as the state's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. The NCI designation recognizes Winship's integration of exceptional cancer care with its research and education programs.
"This state-of-the-art facility will enable Winship to further fulfill its mission of lessening the burden of cancer in Georgia," says Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, executive director of Winship. "The design of the building aligns with 'The Winship Way,' a project that takes a fresh look at cancer care, with an eye toward better integration and streamlining of services, while delivering innovative research-based treatment and individualized care."
Winship at Emory Midtown will be located on what is now the Linden Avenue Parking Lot at Emory University Hospital Midtown and will face Peachtree Street. The new facility will bring additional growth to Midtown Atlanta and is ideal for local and out-of-state patients because of its proximity to surrounding highways and the airport.
With a focus on sustainability, the building is being designed for LEED® Silver certification, and projections are that the building will expend almost 40 percent less energy annually than the average hospital in Atlanta.
New York-based architecture and structural engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (SOM), along with local architecture partner May Architecture + Interiors, are the driving forces behind the design of the new Winship at Midtown facility.