St. Vincent’s opens new orthopedic facility
BRIDGEPORT — Early in the COVID- 19 pandemic, many hospitals suspended elective surgeries such as joint replacements to make way for those critically ill with the virus.
Even as cases eased and hospitals started offering surgeries again, some people were still reluctant to go to the hospital for anything less than an emergency, medical experts said.
Dr. Gerard Girasole said he understands that, yet he thinks the time is right for people to start looking to their joint health.
Girasole is co- director of the Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute, which officially opens at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport on Wednesday. The institute — which Girasole has dubbed “a hospital within a hospital,” offers the latest in joint replacements and orthopedic care.
Though COVID- 19 hasn’t gone away, Girasole said the need for orthopedic services hasn’t declined, and a facility like the Orthopaedic Institute is needed now as much as ever.
“No one is ignoring COVID,” Girasole said. “But life has to go on. People still have problems that need to be addressed.”
The new facility features a private 30,000- square- foot inpatient unit, 35 private rooms and patient navigators who follow patients from the moment their surgery is booked to up to a year after the procedure.
The institute also offers technological advancements including robotic surgery capabilities and something called 7D Surgical, a navigation tool that helps surgeons in placing hardware ( such as screws) during certain types of spine surgery. Unlike similar systems, 7D doesn’t use radiation, which makes it safer for patients and staff, said Andy Turczak, the institute’s senior regional director of operations.
Turczak said the establishment of the institute is St. Vincent’s latest step in improving its orthopedics program, part of the upgrades that have been ongoing since it was acquired by Hartford HealthCare more than a year ago.
“Since then, we’ve done more than 3,500 orthopedic and spine surgeries,” Turczak said.
In that time, St. Vincent’s orthopedic program also has added 15 new surgeons; it was recently named an Aetna Institute of Quality for spine surgery.
Both Turczak and Girasole acknowledged that opening a center such as this one in the midst of a pandemic might not be ideal.
“There are people who are still recalcitrant” about coming to a hospital, Girasole said.
But he and Turczak said patient safety has been a consideration throughout the development of the program. Though inside St. Vincent’s, the institute is largely isolated from the rest of the hospital. Turczak added that, should there be another surge of COVID- 19 that strains hospital capacity, the institute can be repurposed to help with patient load.
“We really spent a lot of time time on how can we provide a safe environment for our patients,” Turczak said.
Girasole echoed those thoughts: “It’s a reality of life that you have to move forward,” he said.