May 26, 2010                                                                              Contact: Jeff Hoelscher
                                                                                                      Media Coordinator 
                                                                                                      hoelscherj@missouri.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                    (573) 884-1608

COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri Health Care today (May 26) celebrated the official opening of the region’s most comprehensive orthopaedic surgery center.

The Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, located at 1100 Virginia Ave., near the intersection of Stadium Boulevard and Monk Drive, is the newest and largest freestanding orthopaedic hospital in central Missouri. The $55.5 million facility will provide orthopaedic patients with a full range of care – from inpatient orthopaedic surgery to rehabilitation services – in a single location.

“This new facility was designed and built with the needs of orthopaedic patients as our central focus,” said James Stannard, M.D., chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the MU School of Medicine and J. Vernon Luck Sr. Distinguished Professor. “It offers convenient access for patients with wheelchairs and crutches, and patient rooms designed for efficient orthopaedic care. The first thing that patients will notice when they enter our new facility is that it is very supportive of what they need. Everything is designed specifically for the orthopaedic patient.”

The new facility will include:
• 45 exam rooms
• Five operating rooms (two procedure rooms with C-arm/fluoroscopy capabilities)
• 16 private inpatient beds
• A full-service pharmacy
• Radiology services, with X-ray and MRI
• Rehabilitation services
• Prosthetic and orthotic services
• A dining area called the Atrium Café

“Our specialists serve patients from every county in the state of Missouri, and this new facility will enable us to provide the region’s most comprehensive, state-of-the-art orthopaedic care,” said James Ross, chief executive officer of MU Health Care.

The 115,500 square-foot building will house approximately 200 physicians and staff, including more than 20 University Physicians orthopaedic surgeons who specialize in sports medicine, joint replacement, pediatrics, hip and knee, foot and ankle, shoulder, hand, spine and trauma care.

“To say that we are excited would be an understatement,” said Stannard. “We have been very successful in recruiting world-class orthopaedic surgeons to MU. Now we have a facility that will offer a superior platform for patient care, education and research, which is the mission of our health system.”

Construction of the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute began with a ground-breaking ceremony in June 2008.

As one of the state’s premier academic medical centers, University of Missouri Health Care provides highly specialized, multidisciplinary care to patients with the most severe illnesses and injuries from every county in the state. MU Health Care is comprised of more than 450 expert physicians and 5,000 staff at multiple hospitals and clinics. In 2009, the health system recorded 519,597 clinic visits, cared for 19,096 hospital patients and delivered 1,793 babies.

MU Health Care includes University Hospital and Clinics, Children’s Hospital, Columbia Regional Hospital, Ellis Fischel Cancer Center and the Missouri Psychiatric Center in Columbia, Mo., and the Missouri Rehabilitation Center, in Mount Vernon, Mo. Academic partners include the MU School of Medicine, the Sinclair School of Nursing and the School of Health Professions.

Audio Files

James Stannard, M.D., chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the MU School of Medicine