Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center has officially launched construction on the John E. Reeves Center for Advanced Surgery, a transformative $70 million project designed to modernize and significantly expand the hospital’s surgical capabilities for the first time in 45 years.
Hospital leaders, staff, and major benefactors Ed and Christy Reeves marked the milestone with a ceremonial wall-breaking event, setting into motion a multi-year project built around surging regional demand.
The ambitious expansion directly addresses rapid growth across surgical departments. From 2021 to 2025, overall surgical volume jumped 22%, while robotic surgery cases surged by 132%. Looking ahead, annual surgical cases are projected to climb from over 18,000 in 2025 to more than 24,000 within the decade.
To prepare for this future, the multi-phased project will deliver extensive infrastructure and spatial upgrades:
- Expanded OR Capacity: Total operating rooms will increase from 20 to 26, boosting main OR suites from 12 to 18 while modernizing 12 existing ones.
- Integrated Technology: Six new ORs will be fully equipped for advanced robotics, intraoperative imaging, and minimally invasive procedures.
- Enhanced Recovery Spaces: A brand-new 50-bay pre-operative and post-operative unit featuring 24 private bays.
- Infrastructure Upgrades: Modernized HVAC, electrical wiring, infection control systems, dedicated elevators, and expanded sterile processing zones.
- Future-Proofing: Designated spatial allowances for future neurosurgical service expansions.
The overhaul follows years of meticulous planning, which included clinicians mapping out their ideal workflows using full-scale cardboard models in the hospital’s Bouras Auditorium back in 2023.
“We listened to what the patients told us,” said Jillian Carratala, RN, director of nursing for surgical services. “That patient perspective became our foundation. It guided every conversation, every decision, and every revision along the way.”
Supported heavily by donor contributions through the Overlook Foundation and the Reeves Foundation, the construction will take place in phases over the next three to four years, allowing the medical center to maintain its busy surgical schedule without interruption.
