Cutting edge health care

As a finishing touch to her gastric bypass surgery six years ago, Rebecca Whicker had excess skin removed from each arm on Monday.

Although she had been waiting years for the surgery, she was thrilled by more than the procedure. Whicker was chosen last week to be the first patient at the new Sutter Surgical Hospital — North Valley in Yuba City.

"It was awesome," she said. "I've been in a lot of hospitals and I'm really impressed."

The staff and owners of Sutter Surgical Hospital are equally excited, said Chief Executive Officer Toni Morris. Some have been waiting for 13 years for a surgery-specific hospital to open its doors in Yuba-Sutter.

The two-story, $40-million complex at 455 Plumas Blvd. will host both inpatient and outpatient surgeries with state-of-the-art technology, 14 private inpatient rooms, four operating suites and one procedure room. Sutter Surgical will include medical specialties such as gynecology, orthopedics, podiatry and ear, nose and throat.

Before the hospital can be accredited and certified for Medicare, 10 surgeries must be performed and The Joint Commission must inspect the facilities. Morris said she hopes to complete the surgeries next week.

The hospital employs about 50 people with plans to hire another 50 by the end of the year, she said. Ten surgeons have been approved and at least 15 more have applied for privileges and certification. Any physician can apply to be a part of Sutter Surgical.

The first surgery was an exciting moment for everyone involved, said Dr. Richard Tortosa, one of the physician owners and board members.

"We've had a dream of trying to improve and add to the quality of surgical care in this community," he said. "It's been a long journey and it has come to fruition."

Sutter Surgical is unusual in its creation, Morris said. Sutter North Medical Foundation owns 51 percent, National Surgical Hospitals owns 9 percent and about 15 local physicians own the remaining 40 percent.

The physician owners practiced medicine independently in Yuba-Sutter before collaborating to form Sutter Surgical, Morris said. The original concept has been growing since 1996.

"'This is like waiting 13 years for your baby to be born,'" Morris recalled one of the founding physicians saying.

She envisions Sutter Surgical creating friendly relations with Fremont-Rideout to better serve residents, she said.

"I think it just offers another option for the community," she said. "It is always nice to have a choice."

Competition is good in a community because it elevates care, Tortosa said.

A surgery-specific hospital also will help attract young surgeons and physicians who are often drawn to Sacramento, Chico and the Bay Area, he said.

"A lot of us are in our 50s and 60s so our surgical life span is going to come to an end in the next generation or so," Tortosa said. "We are looking for young surgeons to continue on at a high level of care."

To help attract younger surgeons and improve surgical techniques, Sutter Surgical plans to open a surgical teaching center in the fall, he said. Surgeons from around the United States will teach in an operating room and lab setting.

"We've been working toward this for a long time, and it's great to have it available for the community," said Dr. Margaret Skiles, one of the physician owners.

Skiles, who has been in the Yuba-Sutter community for 15 years, said the area needs a surgery-specific hospital. Her specialty - elective cosmetic surgery - will be a good addition to the facility.

"It fits in with the hospital's mission," she said.

Whicker, who is also president of Oroville Hospital Auxiliary, said there is a need in and beyond the Yuba-Sutter community for a hospital like Sutter Surgical.

"I think it's going to benefit a lot," she said. "Everybody there really cares and you can tell they love what they are doing ... That's what the community needs more of."

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.