After several years of planning and design, the new Witting Surgical Center at Crouse Hospital opened this morning, December 6. The “inaugural” operation was a total knee replacement procedure performed by Tim Izant, MD, chief of orthopedics.
“I would say it was a better-than-expected start in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility,” says Dr. Izant, a long-time Crouse surgeon and partner in Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists. “There were some minor little things you might expect in a new environment that have been quickly addressed by the OR team with support from other areas of the hospital, but all-in-all, it was a great beginning.”
With today’s opening, 11 new operating rooms are now online in the new, 60,000 square foot facility, with an additional three scheduled for completion a year from now in the space formerly occupied by the ‘old’ OR, which will add an additional 30,000 square feet of renovated space to the overall facility.
Today’s successful opening was the culmination of a detailed weekend transition plan that was lead with military-like precision by Inpatient Surgical Services Director Jill Hauswirth and the OR team, as well as a cadre of staff members from several key support areas. The team began the move last Friday at noon, working round-the-clock through the weekend to be ready for the first case at 7:30 this morning. “The move went well and we’re getting good feedback from surgeons and staff regarding ‘tweaks’ we can make here and there,” says Hauswirth.
“My hat's off to Jill and the OR team, and all the other departments that supported this major move,” adds Dr. Izant. “They all deserve a huge amount of praise.”