“We need the space to meet growing demand for advanced surgical technologies,” said Dr. Alfred Knight, president and CEO of Scott & White. “The science and technology that supports modern surgery has grown dramatically, and so has the demand. More patients from across the country are coming to us for increasingly complicated cases. This facility will accommodate the new technologies required to keep pace with the dynamic medical environment.”
The project’s phased construction will eventually accommodate up to 36 operating rooms, with associated pre-operative and post-operative recovery rooms and other supporting areas. The four-story surgery center will be built on the south end of the hospital and cover land currently occupied by the air ambulance helicopter landing pad.
A new landing pad will be built on top of the south tower of the hospital. Preparatory construction activity will begin in August, and the building will be operational by the fall of 2011.
The initial phase of construction is estimated to cost $133 million.
“Our existing suite of 21 operating rooms in the main hospital has served us well for decades, but we need more space to deliver the highest quality care, as well as to move our surgical practice into the future,” said Dr. W. Roy Smythe, chairman and the Glen & Rita K. Roney Professor of Surgery for Scott & White and the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.
“This new building will provide the space to add new and exciting, fully integrated technologies, such as our current robotic surgery program and other less invasive approaches,” Smythe said. “Also, we need this new facility to accommodate a growing complement of regionally and nationally recognized surgical specialists - doctors that we are successfully recruiting to come to Scott & White right now.”
New operating rooms will feature both large and small flat-panel screens to assist surgeons viewing pictures from medical imaging systems. The rooms will house surgical robot systems, support advanced minimally invasive surgery technology, use efficient lighting systems and provide additional space for equipment and support systems.
As part of Scott & White’s mission of education, many of the rooms will employ video/Web technologies, capable of sharing the most advanced surgical procedures with other surgeons around the world.
“We have built a wide range of surgical sub-specialty services,” said Pat Currie, chief of hospital services for Scott & White. “As we continue to respond to growing demand, we will develop and add more surgical specialties that require this expansion of our operating facilities. This building will be a true resource, which will reduce the time it takes to get procedures scheduled, as well as the time the patients spend in the operating room.”
A surgery waiting room area for families will have special comfort features. The building will contain a new pre-surgical evaluation unit, house a new central processing department and plant, and provide a sheltered ambulance drop-off area. Future build-out plans include adding acute care hospital beds.
