Winneshiek Medical Center may open fourth operating room

The Gundersen Lutheran Decorah Clinic will be hiring two surgeons in the next year--and that could affect the Winneshiek Medical Center.

A new surgeon will come to work at Gundersen in July, with an orthopedic surgeon starting work in the summer of 2012.  Both surgeons have asked to be able to use operating room facilities at Winneshiek Medical Center.

Hospital officials are trying to figure out whether the existing three operating rooms can handle the expected amount of surgeries, or whether a fourth operating room which currently is just used for storage has to be improved so it can handle surgeries.

Hospital officials are also looking at whether adjacent obstetrics facilities should also be refurbished.  Decisions on the questions have nt been made yet, but are likely within the next month or two.