EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 16, 2003

Contact:

Mark Isom
for Cuyuna Regional Medical Center
651-251-2164
  
Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Board of Directors Approves Formation
Of The Minnesota Institute For Minimally Invasive Surgery

September 16, 2003 – (Crosby, Minnesota) – The Board of Directors of the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (CRMC) on Monday night voted to approve the formation of the Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS). 

Over the last decade, CRMC has made a multi-million dollar investment in equipment, buildings and staffing to expand its capabilities in minimally invasive surgical procedures.  This work led to the formation of MIMIS and the beginning of the next phase of a long-term initiative by CRMC to use the least invasive surgical methods possible and also to help pioneer other advancements in this area of medicine.
 
“Our hope is for MIMIS to explore, develop and perfect minimally invasive technologies and procedures here in Crosby,” says Dr. Howard McCollister, chief of surgery at CRMC.  “We have made tremendous strides since we set out with this vision, and we believe this is a very important step for the future of excellence in rural medicine.  We believe that MIMIS can significantly augment and support the superb quality of care already available in North Central Minnesota.”

To date, CRMC’s seven surgeons are trained to perform more than 100 different types of procedures using cameras, scopes and small-diameter surgical tools.  These procedures eliminate the need to make major incisions, lower the risk of infection and lead to faster recovery for patients, among many other health benefits. 

CRMC has five operating rooms especially equipped for minimally invasive surgery and two diagnostic endoscopy suites. Most surgical procedures are performed on a same day, out-patient basis.  Other capabilities already in place include telesurgery, through which surgeons in Crosby can use digital imaging to consult in real-time with surgeons in the region and worldwide at other healthcare facilities.  Links have already been established to Moose Lake and to Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin.  A team of surgeons at CRMC also has an ongoing relationship with MIS-trained surgeons practicing in Haiti at a medical facility funded to a large extent by donors from North Central Minnesota.

At the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center on the medical campus in Crosby, more than 70 percent of all procedures are performed using minimally invasive techniques. 
Minimally invasive surgery was pioneered for use in laparoscopic (within the chest-stomach body cavity) procedures. Over the past decade, surgeons worldwide have developed new procedures that apply the technology at other surgical sites within the body. Typically, minimally invasive surgery means less post-operative pain, faster healing and reduced risk of infection. 
 
MIMIS will be located at the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center on the medical campus in Crosby, Minn.  The campus is also home to the Central Lakes Medical Clinic and the Crosby Eye Clinic.  Combined, CRMC has a staff of more than 40 physicians and surgeons and employs more than 700 medical professionals and administrative staff.  The Cuyuna Regional Medical Center is a public district healthcare facility serving 17 communities in Crow Wing County.  It was founded in 1964.