When Lancaster General Women & Babies Hospital opened, it introduced a new approach to women’s healthcare in Lancaster County. We’re working toward a similar goal as we complete the Lancaster General Orthopedic Center.

Patients in the new center will notice fresh surroundings—and a fresh approach to orthopedic care. The center is being built with you in mind—to meet your needs and treat your orthopedic concerns seamlessly and conveniently.

To get a sense of what you wanted in this new facility, Lancaster General formed a Community Advisory Board. This group of men and women from all walks of life volunteered their time to share their opinions on what the new facility should include. In the past, Community Advisory Boards offered valuable feedback regarding the expansion of our Emergency Department & Trauma Center and the construction of Women & Babies Hospital.

“These volunteers were incredibly honest and forthright about what they wanted to see in the new facility,” says Stacey Youcis, Assistant Vice President, Musculoskeletal and Surgical Services. “One message that came through loud and clear was that they wanted to see more coordinated care.”

Our intent is to provide coordinated care by offering state-of-the-art orthopedic equipment, diagnosis and treatment techniques. Statistics show that Lancaster County’s population is gradually growing older and that by 2015, more than half of our citizens age 65 and over will suffer from a disease or injury affecting the bones or muscles of the body. The Orthopedic Center will give them a place to turn to help maintain their quality of life.

But it’s not just mature adults who may need orthopedic services. As one of the nation’s top 10 health concerns, orthopedics is a wide-ranging specialty that includes musculoskeletal conditions such as sprains, dislocations, fractures and osteoarthritis. Orthopedic problems can occur from overuse, accidents, trauma, illnesses and diseases as well as normal wear and tear.

Patients and family members accompanying them will enter the surgical area of the center through a dedicated entrance on Lime Street. The new entrance will be located directly off a parking area reserved exclusively for Orthopedic Center patients. Visitors will continue to enter the hospital through the main entrance and will park in the visitors’ parking garage. Upon entering the center, patients and visitors will both have convenient access to a health education and wellness center, medical library, chapel, gift shop, café, online access and multi-purpose conference rooms, all of which will be located on the first floor.

One floor up, on the second floor, state-of-the-art technologies become evident. This floor will include 10 digitally integrated orthopedic operating rooms for both inpatient and outpatient surgery. Surgeons will be able to access multiple pieces of a patient’s record, including x-rays, video arthroscopy images, lab reports and more, all from a single control panel.

“Surgeons appreciate having the information they need at their fingertips,” Stacey says. “Having quick, easy access to patient data is an important part of an integrated health delivery system.”

Because of the nature of many orthopedic surgeries, pain management is a major concern. “We will be introducing new programs and processes to better manage pain both during and after operations,” Stacey says. This focused effort is a collaborative approach between surgeons and anesthesiologists, with the comfort of the patient the main priority.

For those patients who require an overnight stay in the hospital, the center will include two inpatient nursing units with 42 private rooms—22 for general orthopedics and 20 for total joint replacement patients. All rooms will have a step-in shower and customized features to maximize patient recovery. A centrally located therapy gym will offer inpatient rehabilitation and advanced physical and occupational therapy services in a positive, wellness-oriented environment.

The healing process continues outside the gym walls. Nurses will encourage patients to perform certain tasks and walk around as much as possible to help them succeed in meeting therapeutic benchmarks. Total joint replacement patients will also be encouraged to designate a family member or friend to serve as their “coach.” The “coach” will be trained and educated at the same time as the patient to better understand what the patient needs to do to promote his or her recovery.

Patients will also be encouraged to participate in group activities during their recovery period to draw strength from each other.

“We want to treat the whole person and we understand that recovery involves more than fixing broken bones and joints,” Stacey says.

The Orthopedic Center is being made possible in part through the generous donations of businesses, organizations and individuals who believe in our goal of providing a seamless approach to integrated and coordinated orthopedic care. The Orthopedic Center campaign has raised more than $6,400,000 to date. If you’re interested in helping, please contact Jay Bucher, Vice President, Development, 544-5956.

Comments from Physician Leaders: