FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  - June 15, 2022                                  

Contact: Brian Ivie, President and Chief Executive Officer, 360-814-2293
Kari Ranten, Regional Vice President of Communications, 360-814-2370

MOUNT VERNON – Skagit Regional Health is planning a new 60,000-square-foot outpatient surgery center and medical office building to be located on the Skagit Valley Hospital campus in Mount Vernon.

The Skagit Regional Health – Mount Vernon Surgery Center will be located just north of the hospital, facing 13th Street. Building completion is expected in December 2023. Site work started in early June.

The three-story building will be home to a wide range of surgical specialties. The patient-focused design will feature four operating rooms, three endoscopy suites and one procedure room; diagnostic imaging; and several clinics including Gastroenterology; Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT); and Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

A growing number of procedures, including some joint replacements, are performed on an outpatient basis as a result of improving technology and advances in anesthesia and pain control.

“This new Mount Vernon Surgery Center will help us better meet the needs of our surgical patients with a facility and environment that is designed specifically for outpatient procedures,” said Skagit Regional Health Chief Executive Officer Brian Ivie. “We are excited to begin this project and have a surgery center that improves access to safe, quality care.”

Outpatient surgery centers are a trend nationally and are often a preference for patients.

“A surgery center provides a more streamlined experience for patients, because it’s a smaller venue, it’s easy to get in and out and the entire facility is designed and dedicated to outpatient procedures,” said Kelly Bradford, Regional Director of Surgical Services. “This will be a one-stop shop with many patient-focused enhancements and the latest surgical technology.”

Specialists in orthopedics, urology, general surgery, podiatry, plastic surgery, ENT, gynecology, orthopedic spine surgery, gastroenterology and other surgical specialties will provide services in the new surgery center.

The addition of the Mount Vernon Surgery Center will relieve pressure on the six operating rooms at Skagit Valley Hospital, where the focus will remain with patients who will need to receive hospital care following surgery and emergent procedures.

“Patients will receive the same fantastic care at the surgery center as they do at the hospital,” Bradford said. “The addition of a surgery center expands our ability to continue to care for the people of our community.”

The new building will offer a convenient location, easy access, patient pick-up area and ample parking.

The estimated target to open the facility is December 2023.

Skagit Regional Health is working with a developer, SVH Partners, LLC, on the project and will lease the facility. The contractor is BNBuilders.

Skagit Regional Health is also currently working on a three-story Primary Care and Urgent Care clinic at Station Square near downtown Mount Vernon that will open in January 2023.

Mount Vernon Surgery Center Fast facts:

• 60,000 square feet
• Faces 13th Street just north of Skagit Valley Hospital
• First floor:  Outpatient surgery center, endoscopy, sterile processing
  • Four operating room
  • One procedure Room
  • Three endoscopy procedure rooms
• Second floor:
  • Gastroenterology
  • Ear, Nose and Throat
  • Imaging: Two X-ray units
  • Staff support

• Third floor:
  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

• Site prep:
  • Started in June 2022

• Opens to patients:
  • December 2023

For information about all locations and services at Skagit Regional Health, please visit www.skagitregionalhealth.org/construction.

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About Skagit Regional Health: Skagit Regional Health includes Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington and 27 clinic locations in Skagit, Island and north Snohomish counties.