Providence has committed $9 million to modernize four operating rooms at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, the first phase of a plan to renovate all 28 surgical spaces. The multiyear project will add new imaging technology, lighting, and mechanical systems throughout the hospital.
Spokane’s largest hospital campus is entering a new phase of capital investment as Providence begins updating decades-old surgical infrastructure at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Health systems across the country have increasingly directed capital budgets toward operating room modernization, recognizing that surgical suites built decades ago often cannot accommodate the imaging, sterilization and airflow standards required for advanced procedures today.
At Sacred Heart, located at 101 W. Eighth in downtown Spokane, the hospital plans to renovate all 28 of its operating rooms through a nine-phase project. Providence has allocated $9 million from its capital budget to fund the initial phase, covering four rooms. City permit records value construction for the full 28-room project at $19.5 million, though hospital officials expect the final cost to climb once new equipment is installed.
Two of the rooms slated for early renovation will become hybrid operating suites equipped with fluoroscopy imaging systems, sometimes called C-arms, which capture continuous X-ray footage during procedures. That technology supports minimally invasive interventions such as aortic valve replacement, reflecting a broader shift among hospitals toward combining surgical and interventional radiology capabilities in a single space rather than routing patients between departments.
Dr. Erik Condon, chief of surgery at Sacred Heart Medical Center and Providence Holy Family Hospital, said the renovation reflects the wear that comes with near daily use of surgical spaces over many years. The project will also update sub-sterile support areas adjacent to the operating rooms and replace lighting, cabinetry, flooring, and electrical and air circulation systems.
Preliminary work is scheduled to begin this summer, with renovations following in the fall. A phased approach is intended to keep most operating rooms available throughout construction, limiting disruption to surgical scheduling. No overall completion date has been set.
Providence separately plans to modernize 13 operating rooms at Holy Family Hospital, located at 5633 N. Lidgerwood in Spokane.