March 4, 2004 -- Building on the theme "A Journey of Hope," the University of Virginia Health System will officially open its new infusion center on Monday, March 8, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event, which includes a special media tour, takes place at the U.Va. Cancer Center on the 4th floor of the West Complex in Charlottesville, on Jefferson Park Ave. across from the main University Hospital. Speakers include: R. Edward Howell, vice president and chief executive officer of the U.Va. Medical Center, and Dr. Peyton Taylor, medical director of the Cancer Center.

The infusion center, located in what used to be administrative offices, will serve patients from around Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region who receive chemotherapy as part of their cancer treatment at U.Va. The new 5,768 square foot center was designed with the input of a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses and cancer patients and their families.

The center will increase infusion capacity by about one-third and will provide patients and their families with a more comfortable, soothing environment. Today, up to 45 cancer patients receive chemotherapy at the U.Va. Cancer Center every day, about 17 patients at any one time.

The new center, renovated at a cost of $1.25 million, will allow patients greater privacy in a setting filled with light, greenery and original artwork. Patients and their families can now spend their time at the center in private rooms or more open, communal spaces. A new rooftop garden is also available for patients receiving chemotherapy, thanks to a donation from a Cancer Center benefactor, Trudy Peyton, of Albemarle County.