A new center that will double the amount of surgeries performed
at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital will break ground Wednesday.
A new center that will double the amount of surgeries performed at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital will break ground Wednesday.
In the past several years, the number of surgery cases has increased almost 50 percent because of an increase in population and an increase in surgical staff, said Ken Underwood, CEO of the hospital.
“We have a lot more specialty surgeries available that people used to go elsewhere for,” he said.
The 7,000 square-foot surgery center will be built as a separate facility behind the hospital and will allow approximately 200 outpatient surgeries per month, according to a statement issued by the hospital.
The main facility only has two operating rooms that were constructed in 1962, and those are constantly booked, Underwood said. The new facility will take some of the pressure off those rooms and allow a larger variety of surgeries to be performed.
The center will cost about $4 million to build and should open in June 2005, Underwood said.
A series of 2003 revenue bonds funded through different brokerage companies, such as U.S. Bancorp and Edward Jones and Co., will be paid off over the next 30 years, he said.
The center will include two operating rooms, a procedure room for minor surgeries and two private recovery rooms.
Procedures ranging from orthopedic, urology, gynecology, general and plastic surgery will be performed, according to the statement.
The new center will house “cutting edge” surgical equipment the main facility does not have, said Joanne Hamilton, director of surgical services at Hazel Hawkins.
The center will feature equipment designed by Stryker, a leader in surgical tools, Hamilton said.
“We have the capabilities,” she said. “This (facility) gives us the space.”
Because the center is separate from the main hospital, day-to-day operations will not be interrupted. To ensure a level of tranquility for patients during the construction, a sound wall will be the first thing constructed, Underwood said.
“We’re pleased that residents of Hollister will now be able to have state of the art surgery locally and timely,” he said.
