BANDON – Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center has restarted its surgery program at the hospital, offering minor procedures as well as orthopedic surgeries.
“We are pleased to announce that we have been able to restart the surgery program after it was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said SCHHC Director of Surgical Services Michelle King, RN, BSN, MSML.
“Over the last year and with guidance from our new CEO Raymond Hino, we started minor procedures such as endoscopies with Dr. Douglas Crane and pain management procedures with Victoria Schmelzer,” King explained.
Now in addition to minor procedures, Southern Coos Hospital, in partnership with Dr. Wesley Johnson of South Coast Orthopaedic Associates of Coos Bay, is offering total joint replacements, arthroscopy, spine, foot and ankle procedures, among others.
“Our goal is to have a robust surgical program offering services five days a week,” King said.
“We are starting slowly by offering surgeries one-to-two days a week and when those volumes increase, we’ll add more days,” she added. “We hope in the future to offer other types of surgeries as well.”
King was hired to help build up the surgical program at SCHHC and she and her husband came to Bandon in November 2022 from the Olympia, Wash., area. She has three grown children and a 14-year-old son who moved here with them.
King has 17 years of experience in nursing and seven years in management with a specialty in surgery, as well as extensive project management experience. Her husband works as Director of IT and cybersecurity at Bandon IT.
“I was able to pick up where it was left off,” King said of the surgical program.
The first order of business was to coordinate with local orthopedic surgeons who were interested in performing surgery at Southern Coos Hospital.
Next, new, updated equipment was purchased for the surgical unit, which took some time and coordination with the hospital’s materials management department due to supply chain issues.
Finally, rebuilding the surgical team was achieved by hiring four additional employees to work with the two existing surgical staff members.
The current surgical team consists of three RNs, two surgical techs and one sterile processing technician in addition to Victoria Schmelzer, the hospital’s Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, and King as surgical director.
“We want to establish a reputation of having excellent patient care from a staff that enjoys their jobs,” King said. “We want people to want to come here for their procedures and also to want to work here.”
Why come to Southern Coos Hospital for a surgical procedure? King says her staff is pleasant and efficient with high standards for patient safety. They coordinate with each patient prior to the day of their procedure so they can meet the staff, get all of their questions answered and feel more comfortable.
For people who live close to Bandon, coming to Southern Coos is more convenient and accessible, and offers a smaller, more close-knit environment with one-on-one connections and personal follow-through, resulting in positive patient outcomes.
Anyone wishing to have their minor or major surgical procedure at Southern Coos needs to let their provider know.
“We hope you choose Southern Coos Hospital and see the difference we can offer in exceptional patient care,” King said.
To find out more, speak to your provider, call Southern Coos Hospital at 541-347-2426.