Dept. of Health approves Providence Certificate of Need

WALLA WALLA—On May 29, the Department of Health issued its decision to approve Providence St. Mary Medical Center’s Certificate of Need to open a freestanding Ambulatory (outpatient) Surgery Center (ASC) at the Providence Southgate Medical Park on Second Avenue.

The goal is to open an ASC, with two operating rooms and two endoscopy procedure rooms, in the former Walla Walla General Hospital surgical department. Because the area is in an older section of the building, facility renovations required to meet building code are estimated at $6.7 million, according to a Providence St. Mary media release.

According to the release, the ASC has the potential to increase surgical capacity in Walla Walla by approximately 2,000 surgeries a year and 1,300 endoscopies. Surgeries provided in ASCs tend to cost less and Providence sees the ASC as an important step in reducing the cost of health care and reducing wait times.