Bright colors, wide windows, nature pictures and a view of the Fremont Hills. That is the atmosphere at the new UCSF – Washington Cancer Center.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Dec. 11 at the Washington Hospital Conrad E. Anderson, M.D. Auditorium. Washington Hospital communications manager Kel Kanady said executives, donors and special guests attended the event. California State Senator Aisha Wahab, Assemblymember Alex Lee, Newark Mayor Michael Hannon and Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan were also at the event.
The cancer center is a partnership between UCSF and Washington Hospital. Washington Health CEO Kimberly Hartz said their vision of a cancer center started while a group of employees were eating dinner at Massimo’s restaurant in Fremont.
“Around that table, we shared a vision,” she said. “A bold dream took shape, to bring academic-level oncology care into our community, and to build a regional cancer center for patients to receive world-class treatment, close to home. We even sketched it out on the back of a napkin as we talked.
“That vision quickly gained momentum,” Hartz continued. “Together, Washington and UCSF recruited an extraordinary clinical team over the years.”
Hartz thanked UCSF Dr. Bogdan Eftimie, the medical director of the Cancer Center. “You have built not just a clinical service, but a healing environment. One that honors the dignity, the comfort and humanity of every patient and their family members. From the thoughtful lighting, to the art depicting all of the nature scenes that truly came from your heart that surround our clinic and embrace it.”
The pictures of nature scenes in the cancer center’s waiting room were taken by Eftimie.
There are photos of hills, creeks and bright orange trees printed on glass.
The UCSF – Washington Cancer Center also has a set of open area treatment stations with windows. A Washington Hospital employee guiding the tour said that during the day, there’s a view of the Fremont Hills. She said the watercolor painting on the glass windows next to the halls also features the hills.
Eftimie has been the medical director of the center since 2017. “When these two cultures come together, UCSF’s scientific innovation and Washington Hospital’s deep community connection, they don’t cancel each other, they strengthen one another,” he said.
Eftime said the cancer center has been able to run a new immunotherapy treatment the past few months. “We’re one of the few community centers that do it. Because even to this day most of these therapies are done at the university centers because of specific side effects they can have.” He said the new cancer treatment has been around for about five years.
A Washington Health patient said she received a multiple myeloma cancer diagnosis after she became a nurse. “I started my treatment here at Washington. For six months, I had injections every single week, and I was able to just come here. And this is 10 minutes from my house. I didn’t have to drive all the way to UCSF.
“Being able to come here and see familiar faces in the community was just calming for me,” she added. “Washington has just the most amazing team. I have to say all of the doctors here are amazing.”
