LewisGale Hospital Montgomery officially opened a new $15.9 million surgery department Monday, Feb. 20, during a ribbon cutting at the facility.
The upgrade added 7,500 square feet of new space next to the existing surgery department. The new area is home to two new, state-of-the-art operating rooms, a 15-bed Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, a sterile storage room, and support space. Renovations will also take place in 4,800 square-feet of the existing surgery department.
Alan Fabian, LewisGale’s chief executive officer, said the upgrades and expansion of surgical services total nearly $35 million in capital improvements since 2019, including a planned cardiac cath lab, advanced medical equipment, and new patient safety and quality efforts.
“For nearly 50 years, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery has offered the most technologically advanced quality care in the region,” said Fabian. “This expansion is critical in helping us to continue delivering on our commitment as the premier surgical specialty hospital, as well as being recognized as the healthcare provider and the employer of choice in the New River Valley.”
LewisGale’s Chief of Surgery, Jason Fowlkes, told onlookers that the project has been a long time coming.
“Adding this extra space is going to help us be more of a premiere destination,” Fowlkes said. He added that new robotic surgical equipment will allow for more advanced surgical skills and care.
“I do robotics here, and we’ve had a little bit of a struggle around access to the system, so adding a second robot really helps other surgeons and I get access to the equipment,” Fowlkes said.
News Messenger staff report
