Editor’s note: This column is the first of monthly columns from Presbyterian Rust Medical Center for The Observer, providing readers news from the hospital.

 

Angela Ward, chief executive, Rust Presbyterian Medical Center

“We expect to expand our robotic surgery program by investing in advanced surgical equipment and surgical training to support procedures in a variety of surgical specialties, including the use of the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery System.”

 

 

 

 

Over the past few weeks, daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have dropped significantly. I am hopeful that this trend will continue and provide much needed relief to our workforce and the community.

At Presbyterian Rust Medical Center, we remain committed to the safety of our workforce and patients and as we recover from the omicron surge, our current visitor policies and masking policies will remain in place.
We will re-evaluate our masking and visitor policies as needed, and you can visit phs.org for future updates. We appreciate the community’s partnership in ensuring a safe environment for our patients, visitors and workforce.

As we look to the future, our focus will continue to be on delivering safe, quality care to our patients. This begins by offering more services at Rust Medical Center to serve the growing needs of our community. In the coming months, we expect to expand our robotic surgery program by investing in advanced surgical equipment and surgical training to support procedures in a variety of surgical specialties, including the use of the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery System. This robotic system allows for procedures to be done minimally invasively and at the fingertips of surgeons operating a console.

We also recently opened Presbyterian Breast Care and the New Mexico Surgery Center – Multispecialty (NMSC) in our expanded physician office building. Presbyterian Breast Care provides care and treatment for breast disease including screenings, mammography and high-risk services. The NMSC offers more affordable care options for patients and members and provides general surgery, breast surgery, ENT, urology, dental, plastics, orthopedics, podiatry and pain services.

At Rust Medical Center, we’re committed to providing the care you need, closer to home.

I would also like to take this time to thank the community for your continued support throughout this pandemic. Better days are ahead, and we look forward to serving you with your care needs.