The Midwest Orthopaedic Hospital is officially open within UnityPoint Health - Proctor.
The new outpatient facility is meant to be more convenient and comfortable for people undergoing procedures like joint replacement or stabilizing a fracture. It offers same-day surgeries and "nurse navigators" to help guide patients through the entire process.
Nirain D'Souza, a surgeon with the Midwest Orthopaedic Hospital, said the hospital is the first of its kind in central Illinois.
"It's actually a facility designed specifically around an orthopaedic patient … to help that patient through the whole process — before surgery, during surgery and after surgery," he said.
D'Souza said Midwest Orthopaedic Center has long partnered with UnityPoint and the new Orthopedic Hospital has been a year in the making.
He estimates about 4,000 surgeries a year will be performed in the new facility.
UnityPoint Health Regional CEO Keith Knepp said the "hospital within a hospital" configuration means better services and a lower cost of care for patients.
"It's our ability then to provide a really convenient outpatient-type experience — ground level, walk right in, easy in and out — and yet, we're within the walls of a hospital where we have the full, comprehensive experience we can provide," he said.
The Midwest Orthopaedic Hospital at Unity Point - Proctor, located off North Knoxville and Sheridan Road, began accepting patients about a month ago. A ribbon cutting ceremony was hosted Tuesday.
