CLEWISTON, Fla. — Hendry Regional Medical Center is expanding its medical services and doing room renovations to better serve the growing population of Hendry County, keeping people from having to travel long distances for specialized care.
The hospital has added new orthopedic services with doctors Michael Bahlatzis and David Rubins, who serve as orthopedic surgeons.
Watch Fox 4's Allie Kaiser speak with new doctors and hospital administrators about progress being made at Hendry Regional Medical Center:
"It's almost 60 patients a week now, and we started with a few," Dr. Rubins said.
The orthopedic team fills a critical gap in the region, as they said they are the only specialists within a roughly 110-mile radius. Without local services, people in Clewiston would need to travel to West Palm Beach or Fort Myers for treatment.
"They don't want to go to the coasts where they're not really comfortable," said Dr. Rubins. "They want to stay in their hometown."
Dr. Barry Davis, chief of staff at Hendry Regional Medical Center (HRMC), said the hospital is also expanding general surgery services and adding wound care services and colonoscopy screenings to meet the county's growth.
"When [patients] come here, they're going to get the care that they deserve, and sometimes that doesn't happen in rural communities," Davis said.
The medical center is also renovating patient rooms, which HRMC CEO David Theroux said is a longtime coming with the building being in the early 1950s.
"We are bringing in a little bit more of a modern feel to them. Introducing some color psychology which will bring in more warming and welcoming colors," Theroux said.
Theroux emphasized that keeping care local helps patients maintain better long-term health outcomes.
"We find that patients have a much more difficult time maintaining their care plans long-term if they have to keep going out of the county to seek the care that they need," Theroux said.
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