Trinity unveils new operating rooms

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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Monday, September 8, 2008 6:12 PM CDT | () comments

Dr. Karla Polaschek practices Monday with the new da Vinci Surgical System at the Trinity Regional Health System West Campus expanded surgical area. (Kevin E. Schmidt/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

The largest expansion project in the history of the Rock Island campus of Trinity Medical Center will result in cutting-edge care for patients, officials say.

The $5 million Trinity Center for Advanced Surgery is set to open Sept. 22, but it was unveiled to the news media Monday morning. The four new operating rooms at the West Campus site in Rock Island include the da Vinci Surgical System, which uses robotics and minimally invasive techniques for several types of common surgeries.

The operating rooms will mirror those already in place at Trinity at Terrace Park in Bettendorf. They replace 35-year-old rooms that were built for the Rock Island facility formerly known as Franciscan Hospital.

“We are really proud and excited to show this,” said Andrea Coleman, president and chief executive officer of Trinity Regional Health System. “It is the culmination of both surgical and construction expertise.”

The new operating rooms and equipment will better meet patient needs, primarily through the less-invasive procedures, said Dr. Bill Olson, who chairs Trinity’s surgery department.

“This is an example of the way Trinity supports top care for patients,” he said, citing the areas of laparoscopic surgery, robotic prostatectomy for prostate cancer and orthopedics.

Patients are now able to stay in the Quad-Cities for surgery that previously meant traveling out of the area, he added.

Urologists Dr. Gus Harb and Dr. Mark Milleman are excited to use the new rooms and the technology in them.

“The robotics allow us to use the same angles as our hands,” Milleman said. “It’s a gigantic advancement.”

The Trinity Center for Advanced Surgery is now in place at all three Trinity campuses, including the 7th Street Campus is Moline. There are a combined 18 operating room suites, and Trinity-affiliated physicians perform more than 15,000 procedures yearly at its facilities.

“Medicine marches on and time marches on,” Coleman said. “We continue to stay on the cutting edge of surgical care.”

Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com.