april 24, 2019
2 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019
MDMH’s new surgery center exceeds expectations By PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic
Dr. James Zubernis, chief of surgery at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, said everyone will benefit from the new surgery center and encourages all to attend the grand opening, April 26. He said the project began with a vision by former CEO John Bartos. “He realized that to be of maximum service to the Bitterroot Valley we would need to upgrade our surgical facilities and this is a culmination of that vision and those that came after him,” Zubernis said. “The new center exceeds that initial vision. What we have is so far beyond anything I thought it would be and I’ve been involved since the beginning.” He called the operating room “spectacular.” “I’ve worked in many hospitals in many parts of the country and this is by far the finest that I’ve worked in,” he said. “The technology we have here is farther than any hospital I’ve ever worked in.” Zubernis has been in practice in 25 years this July and has worked in all size of hospitals. “This is by far the most state of the art, the nicest physical facility,” he said. “When we planned it, we wanted this to be the
PERRY BACKUS - Ravalli Republic
Standing at the entrance into Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital’s new surgery center, MDMH CEO John Bishop hopes that people will take advantage of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cross the “red line” in a surgery center. A grand opening celebration for the hospital’s new surgery center is planned for Friday, April 26.
best today and for the next decade, it went above and beyond our vision.” Zubernis said Bitterroot Valley residents would normally have to go out of state to a larger hospital to have access to this quality and caliber of a facility. The new surgery center is a significant investment by hospital and a significant investment in the community, he said. The grand opening gives a behind the scenes look into the world of the super clean and high tech. The grand opening takes place before the deep cleaning and sterilization of the rooms and equipment. It is the opportunity for the public to go “beyond the red line,” the line that marks where extreme cleanliness begins. People
will tour the rooms especially designed for consultation, preparation, operating, sterilization, equipment, recovery and monitoring. They will see the equipment, view the new technology and meet the surgeons that make the MDMH Surgery Center a world-class facility. “I think the wow factor is the scope of the facility, it is so much bigger than anything we’ve ever done,” Zubernis said. “This facility represents maximal effort to provide the highest quality and safest care that they can receive. There are no imperatives to delivering the absolutely world-class level of care at this facility.”
Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - 3
Apollo Mechanical Contractors is proud to have been a part of the new Surgery Center Project at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital. At Apollo, our mission is BUILDING PEOPLE WHO BUILD GREAT THINGS, and as a member of the local community, we believe in making the communities where we live and work better places. Congratulations to the entire Marcus Daly Memorial team on the completion of your new state-of-theart facility, and for the many local lives you will touch.
4985 Blue Mountain Road | Missoula, MT 59804 | 406-926-2754 | www.apollomech.com
4 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019
MICHELLE MCCONNAHA - Ravalli Republic
MDMH Chief of Surgery Dr. James Zubernis with the medical equipment salesman Rob Craven explore the range the new laparoscope and monitors new that show eight million pixels and a billion colors in the new Surgery Center.
Grand opening tour offers opportunity to meet center’s surgeons and staff By Michelle McConnaha Ravalli Republic
The Grand Opening at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital is an opportunity to meet each surgeon and the staff at the new Surgery Center.
“Marcus Daly has the most amazing people working for it. Of all the places I’ve worked, I’ve never felt as blessed or as privileged to work with a group of people who are as caring, compassionate and capable as people here,” said Dr. James
Zubernis, chief of surgery. “It is above and beyond a larger institution.” He said the main reason is that hospital employees care because they are part of the community. “There is a real sense of family,” he said.
Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - 5
PINE STREET
N
MARCUS DALY
SURGERY CENTER
PINE STREET
10TH STREET
N
MARCUS DALY
SURGERY CENTER
WESTWOOD DRIVE
TO THE MARCUS DALY SURGERY CENTER
TO THE MARCUS DALY SURGERY CENTER
WEST MAIN ST.
FIND YOUR WAY
FIND YOUR WAY (406) 375-4688 • 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT 59840 • www.mdmh.org/surgery
“We take care of our friends, neighbors and co-workers. There is a connection here that you don’t get in other places. For me, this is one of the big selling points – we are family, we are all connected on a level deeper than ‘you’re just here to have a procedure done.’ Our success is everyone’s success.” Zubernis called the surgeons “highly seasoned trained professionals who work well together.” “In health care team-work is everything,” he said. “I feel particularly privileged to work with every single one of these surgeons, they are so good at what they do and interact well with our patients. I think every patient feels they received excellent care. We deliver the goods.” In fact, two additional surgeons will be joining the surgical team at MDMH. Both are young but experienced with the toughest cases and the newest technology. Dr. Kellan Clark is finishing up his residency in neurological surgery and has performed many endoscopic surgeries. “One of the most common things I would be doing is surgery for kidney stones,” he said. “I’ll be using very fine instruments to go up the utter to laser up a stone and extract it without significant morbidity to the patient.” He will also be using new digital systascopes to manage bladder cancer, do open surgery and robotic surgery. He said the new surgery center has all the equipment to provide the kind of care he has been trained to provide. With the new methods, “the patient has less pain, they are up and walking earlier, usually the night after surgery, and they are going home the next day, compared to a four to five-day hospital stay after a large incision,” Clark said.
10TH STREET
WESTWOOD DRIVE
WEST MAIN ST. (406) 375-4688 • 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT 59840 • www.mdmh.org/surgery
His philosophy of care takes into account the whole patient including their physical status, what their goals are and how you can best help them. Clark is from Virginia and West Virginia. He will start at MDMH in early July. The second new surgeon, Dr. Josh Waggener, begins Sept. 1 after finishing up his general surgery residency in Pasadena, California. Waggener was born in Butte, grew up around Montana and graduated high school from Three Forks. From there he attended Tulane University of New Orleans, then spent 10-years in Billings working as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). “I loved EMS but my heart was to always be a doctor and from there went to
Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon,” Waggener said. “Then I went to Pasadena at Huntington Hospital. It is 6500-bed private hospital but an excellent place for a residency. It has a community feel.” Waggener is eager to bring his education and skill to Montana to provide the best patient care with the latest technology. He said MDMH CEO John Bishop is “giving Dr. Clark and myself the tools that we need.” “Basically, we learned all of these great advanced techniques in a ‘big city’ but we are able to bring those back to small town Montana and provide that same level of care,” he said. “We are functioning at the apex of our training.”
6 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Congratulations to Marcus Daly
architects
Memorial Hospital on the opening of your new State of the Art Surgery Center. We are proud to be on your team!
531 N. Higgins Avenue Missoula, Montana 406.728.3013
www.oza.com
Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - 7
New surgery center offers state-of-the-art technology to community By Michelle McConnaha Ravalli Republic
The new operating rooms at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital are triple the size of the current operating room, the technology is the best in the industry and comes MICHELLE MCCONNAHA - Ravalli Republic down from the ceiling. Dr. James Zubernis, chief of surgery at MDMH, shows the process and path for decontamination of surgical equipment. “State of the art across all specialties are Guests attending the grand opening, April 26, will be able to cross the red line and see the efforts to make sure everything in the Surgery Center is clean and decontaminated. now minimally-invasive surgery,” said Dr.
u t l a a r t g i o n n o s C to
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Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital on the Grand Opening of the new Surgery Center!
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8 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019
James Zubernis, chief of surgery. “Safety is configured to be first and foremost of importance.” The new laparoscope is a camera attached to a scope providing an amazing level of detail. “When you’re doing surgery, you want to see all the details, every single blood vessel and every little nerve because if you can see things that’s the safety,” Zubernis said. The new laparoscope and monitors show eight million pixels and a billion colors. Zubernis said there are structures in the human body with such fine detail that in order to see the fine detail you need image quality but also color. He said surgeons can tell blood vessels by the color, Perry Backus - Ravalli Republic texture and form. The three new operating rooms at the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital’s surgery center are almost twice as large as what’s “The more information you have to work currently available. The additional space will allow surgeons the room they need to deploy the latest in technology. with as a surgeon the safer and more effiThe facility is designed for easier clean“If I want to see the X-rays up on that cient the surgery is,” he said. “This equipmonitor I can do it,” Zubernis said. “It used ing. ment provides a tripling of what visual “Every surface behind the red line has to be that the nurse used to walk the X-ray information I have to work with as a surover to the other monitor but with this they to be pristine in every sense of the word geon. It makes a quantum leap in terms of can do it from here. This is state of the art, and must be cleaned constantly,” Zubernis the density of the visual information. I want German engineering, it is electromechani- said. “The operating rooms are bare, there to be able to see every pixel of detail that are Corian solid surface walls, special floors cal interior with controls at the source. I need to do that surgery efficiently. This These can be fully configured and compo- and no porous surfaces.” provides that.” Operating rooms must be totally sterile nents added as needed.” The technology is supported with and clean for safety and to reduce infecThe new Bluelight syscoscopy is new detailed infrastructure. For example, every technology at MDMH that is unique in all tion. monitor is wired with fiber optic cable. “There is no margin for error,” he said. the Pacific Northwest. Bladder cancer is a Everything comes down from the ceiling “You need facilities that are going to prorecurring cancer, this system reduces the and can be perfectly positioned for a betvide you with the best possible situation.” probability of recurrence. Patience swalter surgery. Power, gas and all the ancillary low a drug about an hour before surgery The decontamination and sterilization of items needed are closer to the patient. A equipment has the highest priority. that attaches to cancer cells. The blue computer on a nearby desk can control the light highly fluoresces the tumor pink, so The first stop for instruments is the surgeons can see and remove more of the expansive dirty instrument room, isolated lights, monitors and every aspect of the from the rest of the facility. cancer. surgery.
Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - 9
Unique experience for those who attend center’s grand opening By Michelle McConnaha Ravalli Republic
Ravalli County residents will have what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cross the “red line” in a surgery center while standing on their own two feet. Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital will celebrate the grand opening of its new $15 million surgery center with an open house on Friday, April 26 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. “It’s really a unique opportunity for anyone,” said Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital CEO John Bishop. “The surgery center,
Swank EntErpriSES
Perry Backus - Ravalli Republic
Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital’s new surgery center includes 14 private rooms where patients can prepare or recover following surgery.
iS proud of our involvEmEnt on thE
SurgEry CEntEr.
Thanks to all of our employees and
We wish the Marcus Daly Memorial
subcontractors who worked hard to
Hospital and the Hamilton community
make this a reality.
good health.
S w a n k E n t E r p r i S E S
.
C o m
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in particular, is a part of the hospital that you don’t get to see as a patient. When you are in there, you are typically under full anesthesia and that doesn’t lend itself to you seeing or remembering anything that’s there.” Construction on the new 26,000-squarefoot surgery center started in Nov. 2017. An additional 1,518-square-foot C-section suite attached to the hospital’s birthing center was part of the largest expansion project ever at the Hamilton hospital. The new surgery center will more than triple the size of the hospital’s current 7,635-square-foot surgical area. The center will feature three new operating rooms and space reserved for a fourth. There are 14 private rooms for patients to prepare and recover from surgery, five beds in the postanesthesia care unit and state-of-the-art sterilization system for surgical tools. Perry Backus - Ravalli Republic The expansion comes at a critical time Swank Enterprises Construction Manager Jeff Peterson makes certain that everything is wiped clean before the grand for the hospital. opening of Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital’s new surgery center on Friday, April 26 starting at 3:30 p.m.
Congratulations! We are proud and excited to serve this community with you. Thank you! Hamilton – 363-0723 / 842 South First Street Stevensville – 777-1662 / 215 Main Street A2zpersonnel.net
congratulations to our community partner –
Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital! We are glad We could be a part of your groWth. thanks for your commitment to our community.
501 North 10th Street, Hamilton
406.363.2800
www.sapphirelutheran.org
Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - 11
Surgeries at the Marcus And that will get even MOST COMMONLY PERFORMED SURGERIES at MDMH, Daly increased by 14.5 better after the new sursoon to come lots more with the new technology and a urologist joining them team: percent last year. Bishop gery center opens with Fusion Total Hip EYE Surgery expects that trend to grow its new state-of-the-art Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Total Knee (Mark Calderwood, MD) after the center opens and sterilizing equipment. Carpal Tunnel Repair Total Shoulder Cataract two new surgeons, includ“That’s some of the Corpectomy Knee Arthroscopy Foraminotomy Shoulder Arthroscopy General Surgery ing an urologist, take up space that people will Laminoforaminotomy Carpal Tunnel Repair (Luke Channer MD, Fred residency at the hospital be able to see during Lumbar Laminectomy Excision cyst Ilgenfritz, MD, coming soon Posterior Lumbar Interbody Hardware Removal later this year. the open house,” Bishop Josh Wagganer, MD) Fusion Open Reduction Internal Laparoscopic Appendectomy “Our original surgery said. “It’s blow-your-mind Microdiscectomy Fixation of fracture Breast Biopsy center was built in the impressive.” Post Cervical Rotator Cuff Repair Breast Lumpectomy 1970s,” Bishop said. “It Those who attend the Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Laminoforaminotomy Obstetrics and Gynecology (Gallbladder) has had no substantial event will have a chance Foot Surgery (Mary Camden, MD, Ann Colon Resection updates since then, except to visit with surgeons and (Chad Dickemore, DPM and Kimmel, MD, James Zubernis, Excision of mass, cyst, or Karl Mangold, DPM) DO) for a few minor renovastaff in between tours of lesion Amputation (toe or foot) Cesarean Section tions…That existing space the facility. Hernia repairs Toe Arthroplasty Cone Biopsy Mastectomy was inadequate to meet “All of the hospital’s Bunionectomy D&C Port-a-cath placement Excision of cyst or mass in foot Hysteroscopy future demands or even employed surgeons will Exploratory Laparotomy Hammertoe repair Diagnostic Laparoscopy meet our current demands be on hand,” Bishop Amputation Metatarsal repair LEEP procedures Carotid Endarectomy Tendon repair Laparoscopic Salpingectomy in volume. We are a growsaid. “They are the Hemorrhoidectomy Tubal Ligation ing community – which is a experts. They will be Exploratory Laparotomy Orthopedic Surgery Anterior Posterior Repair great thing for this hospital there to educate our (Timothy Woods, MD and D&C NeuroSurgery Michael Dolecki, MD) Abdominal Hysterectomy – but in order to make sure community and patients (Richard Day, MD) Achilles tendon repair Laparoscopic Hysterectomy that we can continue to and to answer questions Hip fracture repair Vaginal Hysterectomy Anterior Cervical Discectomy meet those needs, this was that folks may have about an area that needed to be the technology and that.” updated.” things they see.” “Our ability to recruit some of the more “This new facility will meet the needs for recently trained physicians would have Bishop said a lot of the credit for new this community for decades to come,” he surgery center goes to former CEO John been hampered without being able to said. Bartos and those who worked alongside offer them the technology that they need The current operating rooms were about him to create a vision for the hospital’s to make full use of their skills,” he said. 340 square feet. At 650 square feet, the future. “It’s the right thing to do for our town and new ones almost double that size. “Those who came before me had the our community.” Bishop said that’s important when it vision to make this happen,” he said. “I Offering these services will allow people comes to recruiting new surgeons to was fortunate to be able to come in and to stay closer to home when they have surHamilton who are trained in the latest complete the project, but it was their geries, which can make a big difference in technology. vision to start this project that laid out the overall outcomes. “When you start getting technology like groundwork that made this happen. What “We already have a very good reputaa new mobile X-ray or DaVinci Robotic they designed is exactly what you will see.” tion,” Bishop said. “We have one of the Surgery equipment and the full team The grand opening will start at 3:30 p.m. lowest surgical side infection rates in the needed to operate them, you end up with April 26th with tours. At 5:30 p.m., there state, which is critical in the recovery of a very full space,” Bishop said. “The curwill be a ribbon cutting and several people rent operating rooms could not handle will speak. Everyone is invited. patients after surgery.”
NEW SURGERY CENTER
SURGERY
RESTRICTED
GRAND OPENING & RIBBON CUTTING
Friday, April 26
AREA
th
3:30pm to 6:30pm Go behind the “red line” and experience one of Montana’s most advanced surgery centers. Enjoy a self-guided tour through the state-of-the-art 26,000 SF surgery center. Meander through the operating suites, sterilization and decontamination area, the PACU (recovery), and pre and post-operative rooms. Experience the DaVinci Robotic simulated surgery, see the sterilization process, handle the many types of implantable devices, and more. Spend as much time as you want to explore, ask questions, and visit with your local surgeons.
COMMUNITY WELCOMED Go behind the scenes and tour the restricted area of the operating rooms and expansive surgery center.
• MEET THE SURGEONS • TOUR THE OPERATING ROOMS • SEE SIMULATED SURGERIES • EXPERIENCE STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY • ENJOY LIGHT HORS D’OEUVRES • ATTEND RIBBON CUTTING AT 5:30 PM
Enjoy learning about all the surgeries you can have close to home. TOP
Getting There: Take Pine Street west to the end of the road or Westwood Drive to the west, turn right at Surgery Center sign.
1200 Westwood Dr., Hamilton, MT (406) 363-2211 • www.mdmh.org
100
CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL
Quality Care Close to Home
TM