By HFT Staff

Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital has completed the first phase of an expansion project, making renovations to its operating rooms and pharmacy.    

This expansion, which began in April 2021, doubled operating room space with two new operating rooms and updated procedure space. In total, the project adds 5,230 square feet and updates existing recovery rooms, sterile processing zones, an expanded pharmacy and compounding lab. 

The old operating rooms, which dated back to the 1950s, were 325 square feet. The new rooms are more than 600 square feet and  allow surgical teams to offer more complex procedures closer to home for Franklin County residents and beyond.  

Expanded specialty services will include OBGYN, hand surgery, plastic surgery and podiatry. The second phase of the project will include procedure rooms, staff areas and pharmacy updates. 

The decision to expand surgical offerings was based on Carilion’s Community Health Assessment, which is conducted every three years. The assessment, which is done for each Carilion hospital, compiles community surveys to help the system prioritize health needs and strategic direction based on the public’s feedback. Consistently, increased access to specialty services and transportation come up as top-identified needs.