FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital is getting some major upgrades, thanks to this 15 million-dollar renovation and expansion project.
Construction began in April 2021. The project will add more than 5,000 square feet to the facility and includes updated pre-operation and post-operation bays, expanded and modernized operating rooms, and more.
“It was very important to have an updated, more modern, renovated operating room so that we could offer better, safer, more efficient services to our community,” said Carl Cline, the hospital’s vice president, and administrator.
The new operating room is twice the size of the ones that have been there since the 1950s. Highlights of the OR include a central station that controls the lights above the operating table and computer screens. Just about every piece of equipment in the operating rooms is brand new.
“When you’re in such a tight, confined space like that it becomes an infection control risk,” said Director of Surgical Services Crystal Kiser. “So not only having the space to be able to move around the ORs effectively, it also prevents infections that could be an issue for your patients.”
Kiser said the expansion has allowed the hospital to double its surgery staff. Now, they’ll be able to offer more services like OBGYN, hand surgery, plastic surgery, podiatry, and more.
Their goal is to remove barriers to care for patients in rural Southwest Virginia
“We get a lot of patients from the Martinsville area, from the Danville area, even from Eden[, North Carolina]. We pull a lot of patients from these areas, so when you’re talking about having them travel to Roanoke for that procedure, that’s double the distance for them. So this is a very large convenience for those patients, as well. Not only for the Franklin County area but also Henry County,” said Kiser.
There’s still more work to be done. Leaders expect the renovation project to be complete by next fall.