Cape Fear Valley Medical Center was grateful to receive $14 million in state funding this budget cycle for renovations and expansion of the hospital’s operating room environment. Specifically, the funding will be used to renovate the hospital’s pre-surgery and post-surgery holding areas, and add an additional operating room and procedure room in support of the Womack Cape Fear Valley Orthopedic Residency program.
The changes will allow for more privacy for patients in pre-surgery and for more room for the health system’s growing orthopedic residency program, which it operates in partnership with Womack Army Medical Center. Currently, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center has 15 operating rooms.
“We’re very thankful to all the members of our state legislature for providing these funds and for their commitment to supporting Cape Fear Valley’s residency programs,” said CEO Michael Nagowski. “We’re helping to train physicians to augment healthcare access in North Carolina. Through our collaboration with the military, our orthopedic residency will be able to provide essential skills in a new, educational operating theater.”
The new operating room will be used by more than just the orthopedic residency program and will improve flow for both general surgery and trauma surgery patients. It will also help attract highly sought after staff for the orthopedic residency program. The Womack Cape Fear Valley Orthopedic Residency program was accredited in 2022 for up to 20 physicians and will graduate its first class of residents in 2027.
“The expansion and improvement of the operating rooms are vital for us to attract more orthopedic surgeons,” said Ben Levine, MD, Associate Program Director of the Orthopedics Residency program and one of the surgeons on staff at Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. “Bringing in orthopedic surgeons with subspecialty training and an interest in educating the residents improves the quality of both the residents’ teaching experience and the care of the patients we treat.”
Melissa Dew-King, Vice President of Surgical Services for the health system, said she is thankful for patients’ and the community’s trust in Cape Fear Valley Health for surgical care and knows that the operating room project will improve patient satisfaction.
“This project allows us to create additional capacity, which means more access to surgical care and more timely options for our patients,” she said. “Our goal is to always keep our patients and their loved ones close to home while receiving the highest quality care.”