Pardee Hospital operating room updates backed by $350,000 in grants

The Pardee Hospital Foundation has received $200,000 from the James H. Cummings Foundation and $150,000 from the Cannon Foundation to support ongoing renovations to the North Carolina hospital's operating rooms, part of the facility's Comprehensive Cancer Center Capital Campaign.

The renovations include new lights, equipment and computers for Pardee's 10 operating rooms, which officials hope will make the operating environments safer and more effective.

The renovated surgical suites are more spacious, in order to give surgeons and staff more comfortable access to the patient.

The rooms also have advanced cameras so photos can be taken throughout surgery for reference or patient education. Shadows have been reduced, allowing for better viewing conditions for surgeons, and all of the technology's controls can be manipulated by a single technician.

In addition, the rooms are cordless -- meaning no tripping while delivering care to a patient.

Kim Hinkleman, executive director of the Pardee Hospital Foundation, said in a statement that she and hospital staff were grateful for the grants, which "helped fund important renovations to our 10 operating suites, which will improve patient outcomes and surgical success, ensuring the best possible care for residents in our community."

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The James H. Cummings Foundation is a charitable nonprofit which has supported a number of renovation projects for Pardee, including cardiovascular, diabetes, orthopedic and spine facility improvements. The Cannon Foundation, meanwhile, is engaged in philanthropy through funding in healthcare, higher education, human services and the community.

The nonprofit Pardee Memorial Hospital Foundation has generated more than $30 million in pledges and cash gifts for the hospital since its inception in January 1996. The hospital itself is a nonprofit, 222-bed acute care community hospital managed by UNC Health Care.

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