Jefferson Health's Honickman Center

On March 13, 2024, after four years of construction, the Honickman Center, Jefferson Health’s new flagship medical facility in Center City Philadelphia, made its debut.

And while they may not have hoisted the girders and beams or laid the concrete, patients throughout the Philadelphia region were involved every step of the way to create a seamless care experience not only for patients, but also their clinicians and care teams.

“The Honickman Center was truly designed by patients for patients,” said Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSc, FACP, President, Jefferson Health. “We spoke with hundreds of patients and community members who shared their perspectives and informed our design from concept through completion.”

Standing 19 stories and spanning 462,000 square feet, the Honickman Center represents the future of healthcare by blending physical and virtual care while enhancing the human interaction between a patient and their care provider.

The Center welcomed its first patients on April 15, and houses a wide range of Jefferson Health’s nationally ranked specialty programs, including Gastroenterology and Hepatology, General Surgery, Hematology, Infectious Diseases, Nephrology, Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Perioperative Optimization, Rheumatology, and Urology.

Jefferson’s renowned care centers include the Honickman Breast Imaging Center, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center; Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Nicoletti Kidney Transplant Center, Jefferson Heart and Vascular Institute, Jefferson Transplant Institute, and Jane and Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute – Jefferson Health and National Jewish Health also make their home in this new, pioneering facility.

The building includes more than 300 exam rooms, 58 infusion chairs, 10 operating rooms, six endoscopy rooms, an onsite lab, a pharmacy, radiology services, and more. Patients will have the ability to have multiple appointments in one day, in one facility. Through digital whiteboards, a Jefferson-developed proprietary technology, expert clinicians at distant sites can join appointments on the fly so patients can see a few of their doctors at once through interactive technology, providing a unique high-touch experience for patients where their needs are always put first. These digital whiteboards allow patients to invite their relatives to join appointments virtually.

In addition to leading-edge technology, the Honickman Center offers accessibility for patients needing additional support and quiet spaces with sensory-friendly furniture designed with neurodiverse patients in mind.

Industrial design students and faculty from the University’s Kanbar College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce teamed up with the Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity (JeffCAN) to research, conceptualize, and create forward-thinking, neurodiverse-friendly seating, resulting in the installation of 60 chairs situated throughout the building designed to provide comfort while helping those with autism engage with the world.

Their work stands as a testament to Jefferson’s signature Nexus Learning approach—which combines engaged, active learning with multidisciplinary collaboration to solve real world problems. It also illustrates Jefferson’s commitment to its mission of improving lives with a multiyear effort addressing the specific needs of this vulnerable and underrepresented population.

The Honickman Center also displays multiple art installations, with a modern yet calming atmosphere for patients. Among them are projects from students at the Kanbar College through the “Liquid Horizons” installation, which comprises nine pieces of immersive art based on original watercolors with animation overlays through projection. The pieces are installed in nine different waiting rooms, creating immersive art experiences to promote well-being. 

This design is the brainchild of Lyn Godley, industrial-design professor and director of the Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health. “Research shows that art can have a positive impact on human health, specifically in healthcare environments,” says Godley, noting that most existing research focuses on static art or virtual reality. “We believe similar outcomes could be achieved with dynamic or interactive art that could immerse the patient in such a way as to deeply engage them and enhance the overall healthcare experience, resulting in an improved physiological and psychological impact.”

Godley notes that the installations will also be incorporated into research efforts. “It’s Jefferson designed, Jefferson installed, Jefferson printed, and Jefferson researched so it acts as a really nice model of what we do here,” Godley continues. “We take ideas from design through research and – after being able to justify or verify the results – take that back to design again to continue to iterate and improve. That’s just not happening anyplace else. This will be our third install, and each time we’re getting closer to the demographic that needs it. When the Honickman Center is up and running for three to six months, we’ll collect feedback on people’s reactions. I think this will lead us to great results.”

“We’re extremely grateful to the Honickman family for their generosity and to the more than 2,500 donors to this project, which is going to have an immeasurably positive impact on the community,” said Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione. “Opening this facility during our bicentennial makes it even more special, as we work to create our third century.”