A hospital room can never be as comfortable as your bedroom at home, but the rooms at “Paul’s Place” certainly come close.

The Steeplechase Cancer Center is located on the campus of Somerset Medical Center, a full-service hospital that can address other medical needs should they arise during the course of regular cancer treatment.

Patients requiring hospitalization will be cared for by highly skilled oncology nurses on the Paul R. Nardoni Oncology Pavilion, which opened in 2005. The 35-bed unit dedicated to cancer patients features rooms with hardwood floors, cherry wood furnishings, in-room refrigerators and bathrooms with showers. Flat-screen televisions, DVD/VHS players and Internet access help patients pass the hours between treatments. Because family support is so important for cancer patients, the rooms also offer special accommodations for loved ones, including sleeper sofas where they can stay overnight. The unit also boasts a dedicated social worker to help coordinate care and a registered dietician to help with patients’ dietary needs.

On the walls of the unit’s rooms and throughout its hallways, the words “Carpe Diem” encourage patients to “seize the day.” Photos and plaques throughout the halls also inspire patients by sharing the story of the unit’s namesake, Hunterdon County native Paul Nardoni, who courageously battled Hodgkin’s disease for five years until his death in 2001 at the age of 32. In his memory, the Paul R. Nardoni Foundation of Whitehouse Station and close friends helped fund the unit.