Area hospitals grow with county, cities

POTOMAC HOSPITAL

Located at 2300 Opitz Blvd. in Woodbridge, Potomac Hospital has been caring for the community since 1972.

At Potomac Hospital all patient rooms are private and provide an environment hospital officials say promotes Potomac’s family-centered care philosophy and encourages family/visitor involvement in the care of a loved one. Each patient room has Internet access; a sitting area with a couch or sleep chair that can be used as a bed for an overnight visitor; soft colors, warm lighting and decor designed to help patient recovery; natural light windows; and a television and phone line. Family areas are close by on every floor with waiting rooms designed for comfort, private consultation rooms, dedicated children’s areas, and vending machines.

Also located in Potomac Hospital is the Hylton Education Center, a state-of-the-art facility for healthcare education, and the Garden Café, a full-service facility providing a wide selection of foods and snacks for visitors and employees.

Potomac offers a full range of medical services including a cardiac evaluation center, which provides diagnostic tests, heart-risk evaluation, body composition analysis, cholesterol screenings and blood pressure screenings.

Potomac Hospital also has magnetic resonance imaging services, health education including maternity and wellness classes, a physician referral service, an outpatient surgery center, a progressive care unit, laser surgery, full maternity services and a Cancer Center.

Potomac Hospital is also the first provider of the da Vinci® Surgical System in the Prince William area. Using da Vinci® robotic-assisted technology, doctors at Potomac Hospital are performing complex procedures, like prostatectomies, through tiny openings. For patients, this means shorter hospital stays, faster recoveries, less pain and a quicker return to normal activities. Plus, all the advantages of being close to home.

The Weight Loss Surgery Center at Potomac has been named a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of excellent outcomes in bariatric surgery. More than 300 weight loss surgery operations are performed each year at Potomac Hospital.

The Spine Center at Potomac Hospital specializes in treating a variety of back problems, some with medication, some with physical therapy, and some with surgery, including Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery. This approach means small incisions, shorter hospital stays and less scarring.

The hospital also offers a Family Health Connection Mobile Clinic. Nurse practitioners from the hospital work out of two vans providing primary healthcare to residents in the Woodbridge/Dale City area and the Triangle/Dumfries areas. The nurses provide physical examinations, vision and hearing screenings, growth assessments, blood pressure checks, immunizations, basic medical care and health information.

To find a doctor, register for a class or for additional information, call Potomac’s Health Connection at 703-221-2500. Potomac Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission. For more information, visit www.potomachospital.com.

PRINCE WILLIAM HOSPITAL

Prince William Hospital is a not-for-profit community hospital at 8700 Sudley Road in Manassas.

Established in 1964, the 170-bed hospital offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services, including medical, obstetrical, pediatric, surgical and critical care.

To meet the healthcare needs of the growing community, the hospital has made numerous expansions over the past few years.

On June 2, the Haymarket Health Center opened for patients. The 78,000-square-foot facility is located on 38 acres near the intersection of Interstate 66 and U.S. 15. The center features comprehensive diagnostic imaging, a laboratory and a rehabilitation services suite, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology. The building also includes physician office space. On June 30, a full-service Emergency Services department opened at the facility; it offers nine beds and a two-bed trauma bay.

Prince William Hospital opened its state-of-the-art surgical services suite last year. The facility, which totals 34,000 square feet, is located near the main lobby. The suite features four operating rooms including two that are super-sized for the more complicated cases and four special procedure rooms. There are also 27 patient bays for both pre-op and post-op purposes.

Also last year, the Cancer Center at Lake Manassas opened in Gainesville, providing radiation therapy treatment at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Lake Manassas Drive. A joint venture with Fauquier Hospital, the 20,000-square-foot facility allows patients to focus on treatment without a lengthy commute.

In 2005, a new Emergency Services department opened on the Prince William Hospital campus, doubling the treatment rooms to 44 with wireless bedside registration.

To accommodate young families, the Hylton Family Birthing Center opened in 2003. It features 32 private post-partum rooms. To ensure privacy and comfort, each room has a private bathroom with seated shower and a pull-out sofa bed so that a visitor can spend the night. Each room is also equipped with a TV, videocassette recorder, phone and Internet access. In the case of an emergency, board certified neonatologists staffs the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The hospital’s 32-bed Center for Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment offers crisis intervention, detoxification and inpatient and outpatient services for adolescents and adults.

The hospital also has a Fitness Center that offers a comprehensive fitness program and a Wellness Center that offers community safety courses and maternal child health programs as well as courses in nutrition and diabetes management.

The hospital’s Web site, www.pwhs.org, allows patients to pre-register for various procedures online and to schedule appointments.

Care Pages, a free Internet-based service to help patients and their families and friends stay in touch more easily, was added to the hospital’s Web site. It allows patients or their caregiver to set up a personalized Web page that serves as a message board to keep everyone updated on the care of a patient. Care Pages are completely private and can be viewed only by invited guests.

The hospital’s Home Health department has an exclusive contract with HomMed to provide home telemonitoring services for homebound patients. It takes less than five minutes to collect a person’s vital signs such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation, weight and temperature. The data is automatically transmitted from a home-based monitor to the Home Health department for daily review. This data is also available to a patient’s physician.

There are some 400 physicians representing 43 specialties on the medical staff at Prince William Hospital, which is accredited by the Joint Commission. A free physician finder service is available any time of the day or night by calling 703-530-WELL. For more information, visit the hospital’s Web site at www.pwhs.org.