Posted: 7/13/04
Surgery center to be dedicated Sunday
The dedication for Franciscan Skemp Healthcareís new Center for Advanced Medicine and Surgery will be Sunday, July 18, 2004. A formal program and blessing ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. at the entrance to the building on the La Crosse Campus, with tours to follow from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
Center for Advanced Medicine and Surgery houses new surgical suites including 8 operating rooms and day surgery rooms. The new building will also offer comprehensive outpatient cancer services including full service radiation therapy. It will also be home to the future combined emergency department/walk-in clinic.
The facility is about 100,000 square feet of space across three floors, including one below grade. Architecturally, the Center is in harmony with features of existing buildings on the La Crosse Campus and will be tied into the existing Medical Center with an underground service tunnel and an elevated skywalk for patients only.
Franciscan Skemp Healthcare President and CEO Dr. Robert Nesse says, ěThose who have toured the Center have remarked on its architectural beauty as well as how its warm and inviting features will welcome our patients and visitors. However, the real advantage of this new facility is the opportunity it creates to enhance the healthcare services we provide the thousands of patients who come to us each year. Care at Franciscan Skemp centers on patients and their needs. Our task is to then deliver the care they need in a manner than combines high quality, safety, compassion, support of human dignity and value. The design and functionality of the Center for Advanced Medicine and Surgery allows our physicians, staff and volunteers to deliver care efficiently and in an environment that also inspires and reassures.
Caledonia doctor explains services
Vice President of Medical Affairs for Regional Services and a family physician at the Caledonia Clinic, Dr. Alan Fleischmann says, ěThe Center for Advanced Medicine and Surgery offers new level of services for La Crosse and for surrounding communities such as La Crescent, West Salem, Onalaska, Sparta, Tomah, Arcadia, Waukon, Houston, Prairie du Chien, Galesville and Caledonia. It offers full range of comprehensive cancer care just a short distance from our rural communities, enhancing the already excellent care they now receive. Not only will there be Mayo Clinic radiation oncology available to our patients in La Crosse but in addition to first class surgical and medical oncology services our patients will have access to many of the Mayo cancer research protocols. This care will be given in the context of our Franciscan Skemp patient-centered way of caring for the whole person and their family, looking after the body, mind and spirit and individualizing their care to meet each personís special needs. The new center also has state-of-the-art surgical suites to provide the best possible care to our patients. When you receive care at any of the Franciscan Skemp regional clinics you are receiving care from a team of quality doctors and providers who are linked to teams in La Crosse and Rochester and together we can provide you with the very care possible.Ó
The cost to build the Center for Advanced Medicine and Surgery was approximately $28.4 million. Funding for the project came in part from an $8.4 million community fundraising campaign. The balance of support came from Franciscan Skemp's sponsors, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and Mayo Clinic.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com