The Center for Advanced Care (CAC) is a new 162,000-square-foot outpatient facility at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center (AIMMC) in Chicago, dedicated to ambulatory surgery, digestive health, and cancer care. Opened in April 2015, it was designed by SmithGroupJJR.

The expansion of the existing Creticos Cancer Center and the existing hospital were originally commissioned as two separate projects, but the design team identified an opportunity to replace the cancer center and directly integrate its services with those offered at the new Center for Advanced Care.  This programmatic integration allows patients to have same-day oncology consultations as well as immediate access to oncologists by surgeons and endoscopists.

The CAC enables AIMMC to expand and centralize cancer care, digestive health, and surgery services into one location, creating improved access to care for patients, continuity among service line disciplines, enhanced efficiencies, and a better overall experience for patients and their families. The physical connectivity of the CAC to the existing hospital facilitates the integration of existing surgical service lines across the threshold of the new and old facilities. More than 20,000 patients are expected to be cared for in the building annually.

The design of the CAC aspires to create a physical space that’s open and inviting and embraces the principles of “place-making, light, and community.”  The patient care areas provide access to indirect light through clerestory glazing, while the cancer infusion bays overlook the new 21,000-square-foot park and community garden.