Patient Experience
In addition to expert medical care, Vidant Cancer Care at the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Tower in Greenville is designed to provide patients and their families with a healing environment to nurture body, mind and spirit. From the open, light-filled spaces to the special patient and family areas – and even the valet parking that provides easy access to care – this unique facility represents our commitment to help you live your best life even as you face cancer.
The colors, textures and artwork throughout the facility were all deliberately chosen to promote hope and healing. A common theme of flowering trees is symbolic of the seasons of change and renewal that we see every day in nature and in our own lives.
Healing gardens
These beautiful outdoor spaces have been designed to give patients, families, visitors and staff a special place to renew, relax and be with nature. They feature flowers, shrubbery, lighted walkways, bubbling rock fountains, a pergola and a patio area.
Large, floor-to-ceiling windows in the infusion bays allow patients to view the gardens while receiving treatment.
Labyrinths
A special feature of the cancer center are the labyrinths, located in the Healing Garden and in the Resource Center. A labyrinth is a self-guided walking path – sometimes referred to as an outward path to an inward journey. It can be a path for meditation. It can be a path to healing. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no dead ends. It is a single path, easy to navigate, that leads to an intricate center. When you reach the center, you turn around and walk the same path back out.
Labyrinths are found in almost every culture and are an ancient symbol of healing, wholeness and guidance. They are designed to foster meditation and reflection, and to provide safe spaces while dealing with cancer.
Digital art experiences
Medical research has shown that landscapes and nature scenes can aid in the treatment process. They can help patients feel calm and less anxious, which promotes a positive emotional response to treatments.
There are three digital art walls located throughout the facility, featuring 23 soothing and inspirational videos highlighting nature scenes across the state of North Carolina, from the mountains to the coastal plains. One is located in the atrium outside the heart center, another is in the cancer center main lobby, and one is located in Radiation Oncology.
The most special is located in the Radiation Oncology hall, offering patients an interactive digital art experience. With an oversized panel of floor-to-ceiling screens located at the end of the hallway, patients entering the area for therapy can choose an experience from the touchscreen panel. The video, along with soothing music, plays as they walk to the end of the hallway to receive their radiation treatment. Options include wild horses at Corolla, sunrise in Edenton, a mountain stream, elk in the Chattahoochee valley and others.