GENEVA — A newly opened joint center at Geneva General Hospital aims to give patients a homelike atmosphere and weeks of pre-surgery education. The Joint Center of the Finger Lakes opened Jan. 3 in just over 4,000 square feet of space on the hospital’s second floor. It will be dedicated to joint-replacement surgery and services […]
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GENEVA — A newly opened joint center at Geneva General Hospital aims to give patients a homelike atmosphere and weeks of pre-surgery education.
The Joint Center of the Finger Lakes opened Jan. 3 in just over 4,000 square feet of space on the hospital’s second floor. It will be dedicated to joint-replacement surgery and services that patients need before and after that surgery.
“Its focus is really on patient education, patient satisfaction, and safety,” says Denise Chamberlin, a registered nurse who is the joint center’s clinical manager. “Hopefully, we’re making the transition from the day they say, ‘I’m ready to have my knee or hip replaced,’ to the day they’re ready to leave the hospital very smooth flowing.”
The new joint center will start working with patients six weeks before they are scheduled to have surgery. Patients will go through pre-operative education classes, and the center will also educate family members or friends who will provide care at patients’ homes after operations.
Educating patients early can be more effective than trying to teach them the day they are scheduled to go under the knife, Chamberlin says. Patients are usually anxious the day of surgery, and moving up the education helps them absorb information while they are relaxed, she says.
Once patients go home, they will have the option of being visited by a nurse and continuing therapy in another setting. And the Joint Center of the Finger Lakes will have its own physical therapist helping patients develop rehabilitation goals.
“It’s very different having a physical therapist at your fingers for eight to 10 hours a day working on your therapy goals,” Chamberlin says. “That’s what makes the physical therapy successful.”
The center has eight private rooms, and it will aim to serve eight patients per week, she says. Patient stays will likely average two or three days, according to Chamberlin. Most patients want to go home after two days, she adds.
Four board-certified orthopedic surgeons will work at the center, which will also have its own dedicated staff. Finger Lakes Health, the center’s parent organization, added about seven full-time employees when opening the center, including support staff members and nurses, according to Frank Korich, the organization’s vice president and site administrator. It did not have to add any surgeons, he says.
Finger Lakes Health did not provide staffing totals for the center because levels could change depending on patient volume. The organization also declined to discuss the costs and financing details for the renovations creating the center.
The Joint Center of the Finger Lakes occupies space that had been a nursing unit at Geneva General Hospital, Korich says. It has undergone cosmetic renovations and has a new common area. Patients will be able to come together to eat, take education classes, and participate in physical therapy.
Renovations started in October and were designed by Rochester–based Dwyer Young + Wright Architectural. LeCesse Construction Services, LLC, which shares headquarters outside of Rochester and in Florida, was the general contractor.
Finger Lakes Health considered starting the joint center for more than a year, Korich says. It will serve an area with an aging population, and its services are needed, he says.
“Our community members have told us that they wish to have surgeries close to home,” Korich says. “They prefer not to have to travel to cities, whether it’s Rochester or Syracuse, to have [joint-replacement] surgery.”
The center is already scheduled to be at capacity for January, Finger Lakes Health CEO and President Dr. Jose Acevedo said in a news release. It is currently scheduling surgeries for the middle of February, he said.
Finger Lakes Health is a multi-institutional health system offering acute and long-term care health services. It has three campuses providing acute and long-term care in Ontario, Seneca, and Yates counties and also provides primary-care services in Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties. The system employs 1,720 people.