September 24, 2004

Countdown to opening of Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care

The new Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care will be opening its doors to patients and staff Oct. 12. The building will be the new home for many MGH departments - such as MGH Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, Women's Health Services, Cardiology, Pediatrics, Child Psychiatry and Radiology. The MGH Cancer Center will be relocating to the new center in December. In addition, the new center also will offer many amenities to those who traverse its halls.

The main lobby for the Yawkey Center will be a crossroads to and from the MGH main campus, with an information desk and directory to guide patients and staff. An increased number of MGH volunteers will be stationed in the Yawkey lobby as well as the main hospital lobby to help patients find their way around the building during the first six weeks after the opening. Yawkey garage elevators and a parking cashier also can be accessed through the main lobby.

The Yawkey parking garage will be open from 6 am to midnight. Valet service also will be available. Garage attendants will staff the front garage to ensure appropriate access for the building. Employees will not be allowed to park in the Yawkey garage. The garage is for patient use only.

A shuttle bus will be available to transport patients to and from designated areas around the main campus to the Yawkey Center. The shuttle bus hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. A final schedule is being developed.

Patients and staff also can look forward to the new Riverside Cafe, which will offer a variety of soups, sandwiches, drinks and desserts. There also will be a coffee shop that will offer similar items as Coffee Central - called Coffee South.

ATM machines, restrooms with baby changing facilities, a gift shop, vending machines and public pay phones will be located in the new center. A financial services center and an interpreter services office will be located on the second floor.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated highlights of the Yawkey Center is the MGH Healing Garden, which will be located on the eighth floor rooftop. The Healing Garden will provide a comforting, meditative, inspirational retreat for patients and their families. The Healing Garden is expected to open in the spring.

For more information about the Yawkey Center or to submit a question online, visit www2.massgeneral.org/yawkey.