11/26/03
By THOMAS R. TINGLE
For the Madison Spirit tingle67@knology.net
A new surgery center is under construction in Madison.
An official groundbreaking ceremony for the Madison Surgery Center on Hughes Road will be Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.
Jim Stidham, the developer of the surgery center, said the building will consist of two floors with 39,370 square feet of space.
"The cost of the new surgery center is $5,818, 237," Stidham said. "It is scheduled to open next September."
He said the surgery center will consist of five operating rooms. In addition, four rooms will be specifically designed for gastroenterology cases and an additional two rooms have been designed for pain management procedures.
"The surgery center is designed to offer comfort, patient privacy and attention to the most technological advanced equipment available today," Stidham said. "Overnight stays will be available for the patient recovery process."
The Madison Surgery Center was designed by the Ritchey Organization of Birmingham with input from the board of managers, consisting of physicians from the Huntsville and Decatur area. They include Dr. Robert A. Pendley, Dr. C. Allen Goetsch, Dr. Peter S. Wilson, Dr. Edward C. Facundas and S. Kinney Copeland.
"The design of the surgery center is patient friendly," Stidham said. "Brasfield and Gorrie is the general contractor and local subcontractors are being used to construct the surgery center."
Procedures to be performed at the surgery center include gastroenterology, upper and lower endoscopy, general surgery cases, breast biopsies, laparoscopic gall bladder removal, hernia repair and lesion removal.
"ENT procedures that will be performed at the surgery center include tonsil and adenoid removal, stereo tactic guided sinus surgery, repair of facial fractures, and ear procedures," Stidham said. "The center will have the capabilities to perform all outpatient procedures presently being done at other local hospitals and surgery centers."
Mayor Jan Wells said she has known of the plans for the construction of a new surgery center in the city since the beginning of her administration in 2000.
"I am very pleased to know that Madison has been selected to have this surgery center located in our community," Wells said. "As the city continues to grow, the need for local medical facilities continues to grow. This will enhance the ever-growing medical services in Madison."
Stidham said area growth, forward thinking on the part of the city government and city management, along with the proximity to the patients are among the reasons Madison was chosen to have a surgery center located in the city.
"This is our 23rd center that has been built, but our first in Madison," Stidham said. "Madison's city government and management have been easy to deal with and responsive to the issues of this project. They have seen the value to the area to bring high quality health care to the city. In my opinion, Madison is a growth-oriented, fast-developing city."
