The Surgical Services Department at Prowers Medical Center has been extra-busy this past year, welcoming new surgeons, expanding services and embarking on a remodel of the Sterile Processing Department.

New Surgeons

General surgeons Dr. Jeff Johnson and Dr. Ernest Steinle, both of Rural Physicians Group, began performing surgeries at Prowers Medical early this spring. Together they provide surgical coverage in Lamar around-the-clock, 365 days a year. They rotate two weeks on, two weeks off, with one of them in-house or locally on-call at all times.

Drs. Johnson and Steinle routinely perform upper endoscopies, colonoscopies, gallbladder removals, appendectomies, minimally invasive hernia repairs and more. They are also on-call to handle emergency procedures, including assisting in cesarean sections performed by our OB surgeons.

Dr. Johnson has been a surgeon since 2003, including more than 15 years working in busy hospitals in Houston and Austin, Texas. Dr. Steinle (pronounced STINE•ly) comes to us from hospital posts in Salida, Colorado, by way of Walla Walla, Washington, and before that, Pueblo, Colorado. He has been a surgeon since 1997.

“It’s going very well with Dr. Johnson and Dr. Steinle,” said Beth Stroud, RN, Surgical Services Manager. “Our patients like them. They fit well in our community.”

Expanded Orthopedic Services

Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Ryan Carr, who is dual fellowship-trained in shoulder, hip and knee surgeries, now comes to Prowers Medical Center four days a month instead of the previous two days a month. He routinely performs total joint replacements and other procedures, including some fracture repairs.

Meanwhile, Certified Orthopedic Physician Assistant Alan Garcia sees patients full-time at Prowers Medical Center. He provides routine and emergent orthopedic care in between visits from Dr. Carr. Savannah Vagher, a Prowers Medical Center Clinic LPN, handles the administrative side of coordinating orthopedic patient care.

In addition, new instrumentation and equipment have been purchased to assist Dr. Carr and Garcia in their practices.

Including the Prowers Medical Center physical therapy team, the Orthopedic Services team provides the full gamut of orthopedic care right here in Lamar, from nonsurgical pain management and rehabilitative care to preop, surgery and postop PT.

“We can do most everything patients need right here,” Stroud said. “It’s a big benefit and blessing to the area community.”

SPD Remodel

The Prowers Medical Center Sterile Processing Department is also undergoing a major update.

We employ one full-time sterile processing technician, who handles the cleaning and sterilization of all patient-critical equipment for every department in the hospital. From CPR masks and respiratory equipment to examination and surgical instrumentation, the SPT works behind the scenes to ensure every tool is thoroughly decontaminated, functioning properly and returned to its proper place, ready for reuse.

“For one total hip surgery, the surgeon can use 11 pans of instruments,” Stroud said.

The technician uses highly specialized cleaning and sterilizing machinery. We have committed $2.5 million to totally rebuild the SPD, making it more up-to-date, functional, environmentally friendly and safe. The revamp began in the spring and will be completed by this coming winter.

“The SPD is such an important department,” Stroud said. “They play a critical role in preventing infection, ensuring safety and enhancing efficiency.”

Closing Thoughts

“The surgical team at Prowers Medical Center is excellent,” Stroud said. “They have the same training as their counterparts in big-city hospitals. And we are continually ensuring that everyone receives the ongoing training they need as well. Together with our exceptional surgeons and state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, they provide our community with high-quality surgical care close to home.”