Southwest Health Expands Surgery Department

To continue meeting the growing demand for its surgical services, Southwest Health has begun a major expansion of its Surgery Department, not only doubling surgical capacity but also increasing patient convenience and comfort. When complete next summer, the approximately $5 million project will expand the current suite of operating rooms from two to four and create new patient areas for optimal patient care before and after surgery.

“Our goal for this project,” says Southwest Health Chief Executive Officer Dan Rohrbach, “Is to expand the physical space for our surgical department. Our surgeons and staff worked several months developing an exceptional plan for expanded spaces. This is a project that will allow us to continue our excellent patient care while also meeting the growing needs of our communities and surgeons both today and in the future.

In recent years with the addition of new surgical specialists as well as new primary care practitioners, Southwest Health has doubled in size as has the demand for high quality, local surgical care. The addition in 2013 of new clinic spaces, including the new Orthopedic Institute and Women’s Center, made available 3,000 square feet of existing space in areas adjacent to surgery. That space is now being used in the current expansion. Says Rohrbach, “Two new operating suites means we will double our capacity to provide surgical care when it’s most convenient for our patients.”

Of course, additional operating room capacity also requires additional spaces for pre-surgical care and post-surgical recovery care as well as sterilization of instrumentation, administrative work, and space for surgical staff as well as all the additional surgical instrumentation necessary. Those items are also part of the project.

The carefully planned construction project will not disrupt current surgical services and, in fact, will go practically unnoticed by patients and family members. Construction is being done in phases, managed onsite by contracting firm Market and Johnson of LaCrosse in close cooperation with Southwest Health facilities staff. Anticipated completion is July of 2018.

“We are here to ensure the people of southwest Wisconsin have local access to the same quality of care they would find if traveling to Madison,” says Rohrbach. “Because that high level of care is important to the people we serve, it’s important to us. This project is simply the next phase of our commitment to our area communities.”

About Southwest Health

Southwest Health is a high-performing regional health care system that demonstrates national leadership in personal patient care. On their hospital campus in Platteville, Southwest Health provides a wide range of high-quality acute care services, including medical and surgical care, emergency and urgent care, orthopedics, women’s health, specialist clinics, outpatient behavioral health, cancer care, an eye center, the area’s largest family medical clinic, and a retail pharmacy. Also in Platteville, they operate an inpatient behavioral health facility. In Cuba City, the organization’s Epione Pavilion offers long-term skilled nursing care, outpatient rehabilitation, memory care, and a family medical care clinic all under one roof.