To showcase Door County Medical Center’s state-of-the-art surgical services, members of the community are invited to watch a robotic-assisted surgery demonstration on Thursday, October 4. Our skilled surgeons will also provide free hernia screenings to any interested members of the public.

This past winter, DCMC welcomed its newest member to our surgical services team: da Vinci Surgical System. The da Vinci Surgical System is an advanced, robotic computer that uses 3-D technologies to assist our surgeons with an operation. The robot’s mechanical wrists bend and rotate inside the body more effectively than a human wrist, resulting in a less invasive surgery.

The system can be used across a spectrum of general surgical procedures like colon removal, gallbladder removal and especially, hernia repair. About 27% of males and 3% of females develop a groin (inguinal) hernia at some point in their life. Inguinal, femoral and abdominal hernias may occur at any age, however, inguinal hernias occur most often before the age of one and after the age of fifty.

DCMC’s Dr. Michael St. Jean, M.D., F.A.C.S. points out that robotic-assisted surgery results in “decreased post-op pain. It gets the patient back to normal faster. Now that DCMC has one of these machines, Door County residents won’t have to travel to a major city for one of these procedures—we’re bringing the technological forefront to Door County.”

On October 4, we hope you come for the demonstration and stay for a hernia screening! The following schedule of activities is free and open to all members of the public:

2 pm – 6 pm : da Vinci® Robotic Surgery Demonstration
2 pm – 5:45 : Hernia screenings performed by Drs. Scheer and Melarvie in clinic exam rooms
3 pm and 5:15 pm : Educational presentations by Dr. St. Jean in cardiac rehab area

After your screening, visit the Ministry Fund Silent Auction. Since its founding 17 years ago, Door County Medical Center’s (DCMC) Ministry Fund has given more than $500,000 to local individuals struggling to meet their basic needs. This Silent Auction is open to the public and is the primary source of funding for the Ministry Fund.

Please contact our General Surgery Department at 920-746-1060 for more information.