Good Things
If good things come to those who wait, then patients and their families at HaysMed’s DeBakey Heart Institute have more than a few good things coming their way this year. In Fall 2021, the HaysMed Foundation announced major gifts that were designated for the construction of a hybrid operating room at HaysMed. In an effort to be good stewards of these gifts and the finances of the hospital as a whole, it was determined to delay the start of construction due to the costs of materials ballooning during the COVID-19 pandemic. While construction was delayed, the planning and fundraising for the new facilities and the many benefits they will provide continued.
More than $2.7 million in pledges and gifts have been committed to this project with major gifts from Don and Chris Bickle, R. Dennis and Patricia Norris, the Hadley Foundation, The Schmidt Foundation, Verlin and Elaine Pfannenstiel, and High Plains Farm Credit providing the necessary momentum to move the project forward. With a total projected cost of more than $7.3 million, the hybrid operating room represents a significant investment in ensuring HaysMed’s DeBakey Heart Institute continues offering innovative tools and procedures to maintain the best care available.
Hybrid operating facilities are the new standard of care to address certain conditions that were previously only treatable by doing open-heart surgery. Think of it as a combination of a cardiac catheterization lab paired with a traditional operating room equipped for open-heart procedures with all the tools, staffing, and space to accommodate both. Phase one of this project saw recently completed construction at HaysMed to create a new home for existing nuclear medicine, echocardiogram, and EKG services. This created the necessary space for the hybrid operating room to begin taking shape. Expected completion is by the end of 2024 thanks to planning, patience, and our visionary financial supporters.
Please contact the HaysMed Foundation if you’d like to find out how you can be involved in helping build the hybrid operating room for the benefit of patients and their families from across our region.
Phase one of the Hybrid OR project created a new space for existing nuclear medicine, EKG, and echocardiogram services.
