While taking a nice stroll through the brand new Ascension St. Vincent Orthopedic Hospital on June 28, St. Vincent Evansville Vice President of Operations-Administration John Greaney talked about Ascension’s faith-based focus on patient care.
“Everyone on our staff realizes that, in patients, they see the face of Jesus every day.” Greaney noted a visitor’s suggestion that the vision has two sides; patients see the face of Jesus in those who treat them. “Yes, that’s very true. We are committed to that,” Greaney said.
Greaney and the new orthopedic hospital employees welcomed hundreds of visitors to the open house on June 28. They provided hours of tours and answered questions. On July 8, staff at the hospital began seeing patients.
The four-story $95 million, 135,000-square-foot hospital is located on the east side of Evansville on the northeast corner of Warrick Wellness Trail and Epworth Road. The facility joins the Ascension St. Vincent Cancer Center / Ascension Medical Group Oncology Hematology and St. Vincent Epworth Crossing within steps of the Warrick Wellness Trail in the area.
The facility was designed and constructed at Tri-State Orthopedic Surgeons with significant input from trusted clinical experts. The hospital has 24 rooms for the hospital (with room for expansion), 10 operating suites (with room for expansion) and a couple of rooms for different procedures. Services currently include all of the following:
Elective orthopedic and spine surgeries (inpatient and outpatient)
Pre-procedure education
Imaging services (CT, X-Ray, Ultrasound, MRI)
Laboratory
Physical Therapy
Respiratory Therapy
Durable Medical Equipment
Pastoral Care & Chapel
Hospitalists
Dining Services
Community Meeting Space
Greaney stated that the hospital’s unique layout means that patients to go from the earliest education on orthopedic issues through procedures and follow-up rehabilitation and care.
“Throughout, we help patients realize that they are active participants. A significant element of success involves their investment in their ongoing health and recovery,” Greaney explained. He said that the hospital’s surgical evaluation center helps those with medical issues that would disqualify them from a surgical procedure.
“If we determine that someone currently is not able to handle everything associated with a procedure, we’ll work with them,” Greaney explained. “We want to get them to a point where they are healthy enough to tolerate a procedure that would be helpful to them.”
The assessment center is located on the hospital’s first floor. Visitors will also discover Jesus Chapel’s Ascension nearby. The opposite end of the first floor involves a cafeteria for tourists and employees–with the clever and suitable title of “Bone Appetit.”
The second floor houses a procedural zone with 34 bays arranged in the form of a big horseshoe. There are nearly 10 state-of-the-art operating rooms for surgical preparation and recovery regions. In the second floor, there are multiple consultation rooms adjacent to a big government waiting area. “Our staff and families can meet conveniently to talk about surgical outcomes and the ongoing recovery process,” Greaney said.
The third floor includes in-patient rooms with multiple nursing stations. “A significant element of the design involved assuring that patients had regular contact with staff throughout their stay,” Greaney explained. “We know how important it is for patients to know they are not alone in their journeys, so we designed the layout of the third floor to enhance patient contact with our staff.”
A big, well-equipped gymnasium on the third floor allows group rehabilitation sessions to take place on a regular basis. Patients usually receive two personal therapy sessions in their rooms and two public daily sessions in the gym during their stays following surgery.
The new building’s fourth floor is not currently in use. Greaney said it was designed for future expansion.
“We hope that, as people visit the hospital, they will see that we worked with the experts from Tri-State Orthopaedic Surgeons to design every area for the highest possible efficiency, and that concept includes patient safety and satisfaction,” Greaney said.
