BANDON – Danielle Wirt, RN, has joined the Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center staff as the new Surgical Services Manager and will oversee that department, along with a team of trained surgical professionals.
Originally from Montana, Wirt moved to Coos Bay with her mother 20 years ago and graduated from Marshfield High School. She worked at a bank for several years but decided to make a career change and put herself through college, then nursing school while also working. She graduated from the Southwestern Oregon Community College Nursing Program in 2015.
Wirt worked in North Bend Medical Center’s Day Surgery Department since graduating, working her way up and “wearing every hat” in both pre-op and post-op positions, as a circulating nurse, scrub tech, and sterile processing tech, eventually becoming assistant manager.
At SCHHC, Wirt will oversee everything that happens in Surgical Services, both pre-op and post-op. One of the most important jobs she will undertake immediately is to oversee a critical upgrade to the sterile processing unit in the operating room – a piece of specialized equipment that will ensure the highest level of patient safety during surgical procedures. Wirt will also schedule, staff, and do everything she can to help wherever needed.
“I have a very large hat to wear,” Wirt said.
The staff in Surgical Services includes surgical nurses who work in post- and pre-op, circulating nurses, scrub techs, and sterile processing techs. Surgical providers include Dr. Sharon Monsivais, a highly skilled board-certified hand and reconstructive surgeon; and Victoria Schmelzer, CRNA, NSPM, board-certified manager of the SCHHC Pain Management Center.
The Southern Coos Hospital Surgical Services Department currently offers reconstructive and plastic surgeries; hand surgeries such as carpal tunnel release; skin cancer reconstruction; breast surgery; tummy tucks; Botox and filler, and more; as well as procedures through the Pain Management Center.
The goal of the SCHHC Surgical Services Department is to begin performing an additional range of general and orthopedic services in 2025.
“We are ramping up to offer even more surgery options,” Wirt said.
So far, Wirt has found the staff at SCHHC friendly and helpful.
“I have a lot of resources and everyone wants the Surgical Department to succeed, so I feel I have a lot of support and that’s really good,” she said.
On the personal side, Wirt has a 7-year-old daughter who is the light of her life. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and doing anything outdoors, including hiking, paddleboarding, going to the beach, and running. She recently completed a half-marathon in the Eugene Marathon.
“I like being active and busy,” she said.
Call 541-329-0154 for more information on Surgical Services at Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center.