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A Center for Surgical Excellence

As healthcare evolves, so too does the way people have surgery. Gone are the days when a person schedules surgery and is in the hospital for several days before going home. More and more surgeries are being done and the patient is going home the next day – or even the same day.

Beebe Healthcare leaders have been watching this and are responding by planning to build a $124 million Specialty Surgical Hospital at the Rehoboth Beach Health Campus.

This new state-of-the-art surgery center will allow patients with scheduled surgeries to have their own place to have the best surgery experience.

Instead of coming to the medical center at the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus, patients will be ushered through a brand new lobby and operating room staffed by trained surgery teams.

Types of surgery offered at the new Surgical Hospital will be mostly orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, and gynecologic surgery. Surgeries will be minimally invasive and also through the Center for Robotic Surgery with certified robotic surgeons who will use the da Vinci Xi Surgical System – the latest in robotic surgery technology.

Having Beebe’s Center for Robotic Surgery at the Specialty Surgical Hospital will also allow for the latest in surgical options for Sussex County.

“We have designed the Specialty Surgical Hospital from the ground up. We engaged with team members and patients to design a world-class experience here at Beebe,” said Rick Schaffner, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Beebe. “The design team utilized Lean principles throughout the design process to plan for a surgical center that is streamlined and provides the best experience for all patients who walk through the doors.”

Beebe and its design and building teams have received approval for the building plans through Sussex County and state boards. The plans are now in the final design and planning phases. A groundbreaking is expected to take place in May.

The Specialty Surgical Hospital will take approximately two years to construct, with an anticipated opening in July 2022.

“One special part of how Beebe plans new buildings and services is that we work with a Patient-Family Advisory Council,” said Mr. Schaffner. “This is a group of actual patients and their family members who have come to us with questions and who are interested in making improvements here at Beebe. They tell us what they would like to see and we work to determine if and how we can make that happen.”

Beebe Healthcare is also working with a broad team of professionals to understand regulations and the highest standards of care, as well as what has worked well in other locations.

Patients coming to the new Surgical Hospital will recuperate in private rooms. They may go home the same day as surgery or they can stay up to three days.

One of the items the designers are working on – and a recommendation from the Patient-Family Advisory Council – is to make for a shorter distance from the parking lot to the front door. Then, once inside, there will be a direct route for patients and family to go from the lobby to the pre-surgery area and for visitors to go to the waiting areas.

Future plans for the Surgical Hospital will also include the future home of Women’s Health, where expectant families can deliver babies in a family-centered, dedicated environment.

“This is the largest of the locations we are building as part of the Creating the Next Generation of Care projects,” Mr. Schaffner said. “It’s exciting and will be a great surgical option for all of Sussex County and surrounding regions. We expect people will travel here to have surgery here at Beebe – where we are offering the latest in surgical advancements in an efficient and warm environment with a great team of surgeons and incredible staff.”

Beebe Medical Foundation – the fundraising arm for Beebe Healthcare – is raising funds to assist in the building of the Specialty Surgical Hospital as part of its “I Believe in Beebe” campaign. To learn more about giving opportunities, go to: www.beebemedicalfoundation.org or call (302) 644-2900.

Stay tuned to all the updates on Beebe services and facilities expansion by signing up to receive the Blueprint eNewsletter: www.nextgenerationofcare.org/get-updates.