UVM Health Network seeks permission for $130M outpatient surgery center

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The UVM Health Network is seeking permission from the Green Mountain Care Board to build a new outpatient surgery center.

The center would occupy unused space at their Tilley Drive location in South Burlington and would cost about $130 million.

The center will add eight operating rooms, 12 prep rooms and 36 recovery spaces to the network. Officials say it will also allow some surgeries to be shifted from their current Fanny Allen operating rooms which can no longer be updated or expanded.

They want to hire 35 people to staff the facility.

Officials say the addition of the center will help propel the network forward.

“This project is built to serve the patients, it’s built to serve our learners and our surgeons and our staff to have the care they need and be able to deliver. So, we think this will be a project that will improve the care for Vermonters,” said Dr. Stephen Leffler, the president of the UVM Medical Center.

The health network says if they fail to expand the outpatient surgery capacity, they project they will fall short of surgical demand by about 5,000 cases by 2030.

They say it would take two years to construct the center after approval by the Green Mountain Care Board.

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.