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Adena Health Systems honored the completion of the steel structure that will become the Orthopedic and Robotic Surgery facility with a "topping out" ceremony on Wednesday, July 28, 2020.(Photo: Toria Barnhart/Gazette)

CHILLICOTHE Adena Health Systems marked the halfway point of its new multi-million dollar investment into robotics and orthopedic care with a "topping out" ceremony on Tuesday.

The ceremony held on the campus of the Adena Regional Medical Center and on Facebook Live honored the milestone event in which construction crews lifted the final steel beam signifying the completion of Adena's new orthopedic facility. The beam measured eight feet long and was signed by health system caregivers. An evergreen tree symbolizing safety, luck and prosperity and an American flag accompanied the beam, too.

"Twentyyears ago, we started building an orthopedic program at Adena that has been extremely successful. Butnow we've outgrown our space at the health pavilion," saidOrthopedic Surgeon Brian Cohen, MD. "This new facility will give us the space we need to provide our patients with the best surgical and care experience possible."

Adena's Orthopedic and Robotic Surgery Center is a $70 million project that will create a newfacilitydedicated to advanced orthopedic treatment, minimally invasive surgical care and clinical operations. The groundbreaking ceremony for the center took place in October and the facility is scheduled to open in the summer of 2021.

The facility willhave 80 clinical exam suites, six operating rooms built to accommodate robotic technology, a 20-bed inpatient recovery unit and 22 pre- and post-recovery bays. Clinical operations for orthopedics, neurology, podiatry, sports medicine and spinal care will be available. There will also be imaging suites for X-ray, CT scans and MRIs.

Once completed the center will have 111,000 square feet and stand five stories tall making it the tallest health care structure on the Adena Regional Medical Center campus. The building will also be home to the Adena Spine Centersports medicine, neurology, podiatry and other specialties in addition to its nationally-accredited orthopedics program. A new, multi-level parking structure with 300 parking spaces is also included in the construction project.

Thus far over 43,000 man-hours have gone into the project and there have been zero accidents. They've also had 4,000 truckloads worth of dirt during construction and used 523 tons of steel, according to Operations Vice President of Messer Construction Tim Gusler.

(L-R) Dr. Jim Flemming, Adena Health System CEO Jeff Graham, Dr. Brian Cohen, Adena Health System COO Kathi Edrington and Operations Vice President at Messer Construction Tim Gusler during the "topping out" ceremony at Adena Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, July 28, 2020.(Photo: Provided by Adena Health System)

Dr. Jim Flemming, a spine surgeon, is also hopeful that the new facility will bring in new doctors. He says that the work performed at the center and the level of commitment from its employees are "first-rate fantastic" and serve as an extension of the community.

"We are completely invested in this community," he said. "We had two providers when I started [15 years ago] and now we have 30. We have promised to continue that growth."

Since the start of Adena's robotic surgery program in 2012,roughly 4,000 robot-assisted surgeries have been performed. In 2018, Adena surgeons used robot-assisted surgery for 630 general surgery cases and 400 orthopedic cases. More than 25 different types of robot-assisted surgeries are offered at Adena.

And with the new specialty facility, Adena Health System CEO Jeff Graham believes Chillicothe will become the first choice for care across the region and even throughout the state.

"No one wants to travel far from home to have surgery or to receive care for their conditions. We want every patient that comes to us at this facility to receive not only exceptional health care but to experience a concierge service approach to every step of their journey. We want to make this type of patient experience the most positive it can be, and its what our patients ultimately deserve," he said.

Have a story tip or comment?Contact Toria at tbarnhart@gannett.com or 740-349-1106. Follow her on Twitter @ToriaBarnhart.

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Adena Health System 'tops out' new $70 million Orthopedic and Robotic Surgery Center - Chillicothe Gazette