WICHITA, Kansas, July 10, 2008 – If you’ve lived in Wichita long enough, you know that at any given time of day there’s construction going on -- not only on roads, but in hospitals.

For the last few months, Wesley Medical Center has been undergoing a major face-lift to the tune of $43 million. More than half of that money is going to the improvement of operating rooms and six of the new ones are already open for operation.

Each room is 625 square feet – a big difference from the cramped space of the past 30 years.

“When you look at the overall size of any of the rooms, we can do a comparison and show you one of the old and what they look like in the 1970's style,” said Associate Chief Nursing Officer John Marker, RN.

Half of the $25 million spend on the transformation was used on new high-tech equipment. One of the premier features is the three high-definition monitors in each room, allowing optimal visualization by the surgical team.

“Everyone in the room is able to see what's happening with the patient,” Marker said.

And that includes Wesley’s many residents who can have a bird’s eye view of the surgery live from a nearby conference room.

“Visualization becomes a key in the field today and when you look at arthroscopic surgery, you look at regular general surgery,” Marker said.

The surgery rooms are also safer and more efficient. Instead of being wheeled from room to room, medical equipment is now mounted on walls and ceilings, giving surgeons instant access while eliminating trip hazards.

New imaging equipment limits radiation exposure to patients and staff.

“So this is state of the art,” Marker said “So, right now we can minimize the exposure all across the spectrum.”

With six rooms done, Wesley is now renovating seven others. By next February, 27 OR suites should be up and running.

Other improvements you’ll be seeing soon are private rooms in the nursing unit and doubled space in the Neonatal Special Care Unit.