On December 12, 2023, the Skagit Regional Health – Mount Vernon Surgery Center opened its doors to its first patients.

The 60,000-square-foot building provides a modern, state-of-the-art outpatient facility for surgery and endoscopy. It also serves as a medical office building and home to clinics for Audiology; Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT); Gastroenterology; Foot and Ankle; Orthopedics and Sports Medicine; Interventional Pain Medicine and Spine Surgery.

The addition of the surgery center has expanded the organization’s surgical capability while relieving the pressure on the six operating rooms at Skagit Valley Hospital, where the focus remains on patients who need to receive hospital care following surgery and emergent procedures.

 “There was an obvious need for the new surgery facility,” said Gary Shand of the Skagit Regional Health Board of Commissioners.  “We are a public hospital district and it’s our responsibility to respond to the community’s needs and to their safety.”

The surgeries performed at the surgery center are minimally invasive and do not require overnight hospitalizations – resulting in a faster, more seamless experience and allowing patients to heal in the comfort of their own home.

In its first month of operations, the Mount Vernon Surgery Center saw over 500 patients – a big accomplishment according to Matt Ornelas, MBA, Ambulatory Surgery Center Administrator.

“The Mount Vernon Surgery Center has provided a safe alternative for outpatient surgeries or procedures that would historically be completed in the acute care setting,” Ornelas said. “This means the hospital can utilize their resources for the inpatient and hospital patients.”