Dozens gathered Monday evening to see the realization of a longtime vision with the dedication of the Goldschmidt Surgery Center at Capital Region Medical Center.
The new 24,000-square-foot outpatient surgery center features surgical rooms, with space for future expansion. It was built on space formerly used for parking under the physicians' office building of the hospital at 1125 Madison St.
Donors got the opportunity to tour the new center before and after its dedication Monday evening, taking a look at a longtime vision come to life. CRMC President Gaspare Calvaruso said the new center had been in the works for years, first coming up in 2016. Having gone through a pandemic and all of the economic volatility that comes with one, Calvaruso said it was a testament to the work of many dedicated stakeholders that the new center had finally opened its doors for the evening.
"There's been a lot of hard work and dedication, and we're excited to present it to the community," Calvaruso said. "This 24,000-foot addition, which houses the operating rooms in the endoscopy suites and pre- and post-procedure rooms were thoughtfully designed with patient-centered care as the focus."
Calvaruso also introduced the new addition's namesake, Peter Goldschmidt, to a community that knows him very well. The Goldschmidt family donated toward the project, Calvaruso announced previously. The family's name already adorns the hospital's cancer center at 1432 Southwest Blvd.
Goldschmidt was honored with a portrait and a plaque, but he said the real honor was seeing years of planning come to fruition.
"The Goldschmidt family is blessed to play a part in the development of this important place of healing. Were it not for your encouragement and the patronage through these decades of my family, we would not be in the fortunate position we are in today," Goldschmidt said. "This is the fulfillment of a dream made possible through many people's generosity and tireless dedication. ... All of our efforts together have created a place of improving health and wellness, a place of hope for those who enter."
Local officials were also on hand to applaud the new facility. Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe applauded the family's contributions to the Jefferson City community and the local hospital system.
"Here in Missouri, we measure people by the size of a person's heart," Kehoe said. "You are seeing who this man is. He's somebody who has been successful, and he wants to share that success with the community."
The campaign to fund the new center began with a goal of $500,000, Calvaruso said. But the effort ended up raising $1.4 million, with an oversized check presented by Pam Green, chair of the Capital Region Medical Foundation, during the event.
Hospital employees said the facility being attached directly to the acute care hospital and physicians' offices offered an efficient and streamlined approach to care. The site also features compact sterilizing stations that can be adjusted for the operator's comfort and equipment that completes sterilization in roughly half the usual time.
Dr. Diane Light, a general surgeon at the hospital, said the new facility was designed with patients and physicians in mind to ensure the best care possible.
"This is quite an exciting night for us. We we spend a lot of hours looking a lot of drawings and you know from a parking lot to where we are now. It's been an incredible journey," Light said. "They're not just patients, right? They're our neighbors. They're our family. They're the people that we see in the stores. Sometimes you don't even know their names, but you're happy to see them. And we're grateful that you were given the opportunity and privilege to care for them in this new center."
Capital Region Medical Center's Goldschmidt Surgery Center was dedicated on Dec. 5, 2022.
Peter Goldschmidt speaks during the dedication of the Capital Region Medical Center's Goldschmidt Surgery Center.
Peter Goldschmidt speaks during the dedication of the Capital Region Medical Center's Goldschmidt Surgery Center.