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Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital recently completed the final phase of a twoyear- long expansion project to expand the size of the operating rooms and upgrade them with state-of-the-art equipment.
The project began in September of 2022 and the end result is an additional 13,700 square feet of space which allows “the unit to be more flexible while also accommodating more patients before and after the surgical process,” the hospital said in a statement last week.
The increased size of the operating rooms will allow for more complex surgeries, including total joint replacement and spinal surgeries, and an increased pre- and post-operative area allows for more space for patients to wait and recover from their surgeries.
“This project allows for improved access for our patients to specialty services for the communities that we serve,” Greg Madsen, vice president and administrator of Rockbridge Community Hospital, said in the statement. “Most importantly, it allows our patients to access the expert specialty care without traveling far from home.”
“Our goal is to remove barriers to care,” he added. “This project is one of several we’re working on to address those community needs and reinforce Rockbridge Community Hospital’s role as a convenient, trusted care destination for our community members.”
The updated facilities can also serve as a recruitment tool for new staff to come work at the hospital.
“Recruitment of new physicians is much better when you have a nicer facility, when things don’t look old and run down,” Dr. Ayesha Kelly, a general surgeon at the hospital, told The News-Gazette during a tour of the renovated facilities on Friday. “To show that you have an up-to-date OR that runs well and is a nice space does attract more people. Residents are graduating every year and looking for a place to go, so why not here? Everybody here is wonderful, so why not make the space match the staff?”
The newly renovated space provides an improved operating environment for Carilion’s surgical team. Current surgical services include gynecology, neurosurgery, urology, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, podiatry and cardiology.
“We continue to recruit surgical experts and explore additional specialties,” said Madsen.
The decision to expand surgical offerings was based on Carilion’s Community Health Assessment, which is conducted every three years. The assessment (which is done for each Carilion hospital) compiles community surveys to help the system prioritize health needs and strategic direction based on the public’s feedback. Now that the expansion project is complete, Rockbridge Community Hospital hopes to increase the volume of surgical cases performed in Lexington.
IN ADDITION to expanding the size of the operating rooms, the pre- and post-operative section of the floor was also renovated, creating more space and allowing for more beds on the floor. (Joseph Haney photo)
ALL THREE of the hospital’s operating rooms were made bigger and are now stocked with state-of-the-art equipment. The expanded size of the operating rooms will allow for more complex surgeries such as total joint replacement and spinal surgery to be performed in Lexington. (Joseph Haney photo)
