Grand Opening of the Hybrid Suite/OR

September 27, 2017 is officially proclaimed St. Mary’s Medical Center Day according to the city and county of San Francisco.  For our Sisters of Mercy’s 160 years of service to the community, we stood on their shoulders as we unveiled the opening of our Denise and Prentis Cobb Hale Hybrid Suite/OR at the newly named Takahashi-Suzuki Heart & Vascular Center.  The Suite is fully donor funded by St. Mary’s Foundation and without the two families that names grace these facilities, we wouldn’t have been able to celebrate this momentous occasion. To view more photos of the evening, visit and "like" our Facebook page.     

The Foundation raised more than $6 million through the generous contributions of individuals and organizations. The hybrid suite/OR is named after Denise and Prentis Cobb Hale, who established a $1 million charitable gift annuity at St. Mary’s to honor Remo Morelli, MD, medical director of Cardiac Services, and Pamela Lewis, MD, medical director of the Sister Diane Grassilli Center for Women's Health at St. Mary's Medical Center. The Heart & Vascular Center is named after Henri and Tomoye Takahashi and Martha Suzuki, who bequeathed $2.9 million to St. Mary’s. 

We were joined by our generous donors, physicians, and employees to tour the Hybrid Suite/Operating Room (OR) and celebrate this state-of-the-art technology bringing the future of medicine to St. Mary’s Medical Center.  We heard from distinguished guests, Pam Steckroat; Foundation Board Chair, Sr. Mary Kieffer; Bay Service Area VP of Mission Integration, Pam Lindemoen; St. Mary’s Medical Center President and CEO, Lloyd Dean; Dignity Health President and CEO, London Breed; President of the Board of Supervisors, and former Mayor Willie Brown.

The hybrid suite/OR offers advanced imaging capabilities and is integrated with the hospital’s existing cardiac catheterization lab, allowing surgeons and cardiologists to perform intricate, life-saving procedures 24 hours a day, seven days a week.The new hybrid suite/OR features a robotic C-arm, which enhances imaging capabilities while reducing radiation exposure for patients. Eight integrated flat screen monitors allow for real-time digital imaging so surgeons can complete a case without having to perform scans ahead of time. The hybrid suite/OR also boasts no-shadow lighting for greater visibility and accuracy. 

The versatile and state-of-the-art equipment in the hybrid suite/OR allows the patient to remain in the same room for multiple procedures, reducing the risk of infection or complication. Surgeons, cardiologists, and radiologists work alongside each other to perform procedures on the spot. This can result in fewer and shorter procedures and may help reduce a patient’s length of hospital stay and recovery time.

We couldn’t be more grateful for our Foundation community that always comes together for important dedications and events like these.  We hope that you will continue to support our efforts to bring cutting-edge technology coupled with personalized care. Give the gift of healing and provide the future of care.  

All Photos © Drew Altizer