Health Compass Newsletter
Back to Late Summer 2023
Growing orthopedic services in our area
By Nicole Williams, COO
In 2008, Columbia Memorial Hospital opened its Specialty Clinic, including orthopedics and physiatry services, at a time when the U.S. housing bubble had just burst, leading to the worst recession in modern history. The CMH Health & Wellness Pavilion’s first and second floors also opened that year, with space for the Specialty Clinic completed on the third floor in 2009.
Despite the financial downturn, CMH continued building on past successes and looking toward future growth. “Even during challenging economic times, our promise to you continues — bringing quality health care to the Columbia coast region,” wrote Terry Finklein, CEO at the time, in the hospital’s Community Report for 2008.
Today, our promise is the same. Our new mission statement, “We help people live their healthiest lives,” and our Board’s strategic plan guide us as we make progress toward our goals. After 15 years of providing orthopedic care in the Pavilion, we are excited to launch an expanded program in 2023.
A new era of robotic-assisted surgery
In July, our Stryker Mako SmartRobotics system was delivered, making CMH the only hospital with this market-leading total joint technology on the Oregon and Washington coasts. We also welcomed a new orthopedic surgeon, Daniel Fabiano, MD, to the CMH-OHSU Health Orthopedic Clinic. We now have a total of six orthopedic providers — three surgeons and three advanced practice practitioners — to meet the community’s needs and provide 24/7 orthopedic coverage for patients.
Our orthopedic team operated on our first Mako patients in August, beginning a new era of robotic-assisted surgical abilities right here in Astoria. With the BuildCMH Expansion Project moving forward, we’ll add more operating and recovery spaces, increasing patient access to specialty care in our region.
We’re keeping our promise to you — delivering high-quality health care, right here at home.
Categories: Orthopedics