It may have felt like an invasion of sorts to employees at the most advanced surgical center in the state of Washington, which held its grand opening in Tacoma that day, as thousands of community members got a first-hand look at the new facility.
From noon to 5 p.m., members of the general public got a chance to see the operating room – without the hassle of having to come in for surgery!
Serving both Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital, the 169,000-plus square foot state-of-the-art building at 315 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way is home to two new centers: the MultiCare Surgical Care Center and MultiCare Regional Heart & Vascular Center.
Some of the amenities and features include:
– a dozen operating suites;
– four cardiac catheterization laboratories;
– four cardiovascular operating suites;
– two pediatric sedation rooms;
– a short-stay cardiac unit;
– private surgical preparation rooms;
– spacious recovery rooms;
– a multi-purpose family waiting area; and
– private family/surgeon consultation rooms.
Those in attendance at the grand opening got a guided tour of the facility; met surgical team members; and saw demonstrations of amazing medical technology, including voice-activated controls and digital imaging. (The sick bays of Star Trek will become a reality yet!)
People got a chance to perform mock surgeries with instruments used by the areas top surgeons and browse the health fair.
Refreshments, health information and giveaways were part of the activities enjoyed by visitors.
Over 5,000 people have toured the facility over the last several days, according to MultiCare spokesman Todd Kelley.
Community attendance at Sundays grand opening was about 3,000, he said, while some 2,000 employees got a chance to tour the facility as well in previous days.
It was good, Kelley said of the grand opening. We were very pleased with the event and how it turned out.
