On Monday, July 6, influential members of our local business and medical communities gathered to celebrate the opening of Watson Clinic Surgery Center South, a 30,000-square-foot facility designed to house a host of outpatient surgical procedures for patients who don’t require an overnight hospital stay.

 

Located at 4050 Lakeland Highlands Road in south Lakeland, and sharing a campus with Watson Clinic Parkway Medical Center and Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital, Watson Clinic Surgery Center South features six operating rooms, six post-anesthesia care units and 20 pre- and post-surgery holding bays. Attendees of the Open House & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony enjoyed informative guided tours of the state-of-the-art facility.

 

“The outpatient surgery center has become an increasingly popular option for patients in recent years,” said Watson Clinic Chief Executive Officer Jason Hirsbrunner in his address prior to the ceremonial ribbon cutting. “Patients like it because it’s highly accessible – you go in, have your procedure, and go back home on the same day. They love the convenience of the hassle-free admittance and discharge process. And perhaps most appealing of all, it’s cost-effective.”

 

Watson Clinic Surgery Center South will provide highly advanced technologies, a diverse range of minimally invasive outpatient procedures, and a distinguished team of Watson Clinic’s finest surgical specialists from multiple departments including Breast Surgery, General Surgery, OB-GYN, Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Otolaryngology (ENT), Plastic Surgery, Podiatric Surgery, Urology and others.

 

An initial set of surgeries will take place at the new facility starting in late July. Surgical cases are expected to take place from there on a full-time basis by the end of August following a rigorous survey and accreditation process by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.

 

“This accreditation process is important because it assures our community that they’re receiving the highest standards of care, leading-edge surgical technologies, and the expert surgeons they can trust,” asserted Watson Clinic’s Vice President of Surgical Services Lou Nino.

 

In addition to Watson Clinic Surgery Center South, the clinic continues to operate a second outpatient surgical facility - Watson Clinic Surgery Center - at 1315 N. Florida Ave. in Lakeland.