ENCINITAS — Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas continues to expand, this time with the opening of its expanded surgical services department.
The $3.396 million project includes two state of the art operating rooms, which brings the number of operating rooms at the hospital to six, an updated pre-operation suite with 11 patient bays, a renovated pathology workroom and a new advanced visualization technology for surgical procedures, including new surgical microscopes and a endoscopy camera system.
“The dedication and expertise of our surgeons, physicians and caregivers have played a key role in the growing demand for surgical services at Scripps Encinitas,” said Carl Etter, the hospital’s chief executive. “Our legacy of providing high-quality health care to patients goes back more than 50 years, and we’re excited to continue to grow, so we can serve North County residents for many years to come.”
The California Department of Public Health on Feb. 18 approved the license for the expansion, which was funded with a combination of philanthropy, income from operations and debt financing.
Hospital officials cited a rise in surgeries performed at the hospital as reason for the expansion. The number of surgeries has increased by 39 percent over the past five years.
Scripps is expected to begin more expansion of the hospital’s surgical services department by year’s end, including new 12-bay post-anesthesia recovery unit and remodeling of the nurse’s station, scheduling office and locker and lunch break rooms.
