Last month, Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) President Adam Hornback, BSN, RN and Executive Director Krista DuRapau welcomed new members and toured their centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

The two started at Texas Vision & Laser Center (TVLC), where COO Bert Witherspoon, MS, MBA, FACHE met them with a warm welcome and took them through the center, which was undergoing a few renovations in the ORs. 

“The center was built with patients in mind,” Witherspoon said while leading them through the dilation lounge. The lights on the ceiling change colors and are themed around holidays—a special touch to make patients feel calm and welcomed. 

Another personal touch at the center is original artwork by Keri Carter, COA, a technician and scribe at the center; it makes the walk down the halls more like a walk through a gallery and puts patients at ease. 

TVLC also puts an emphasis on education, with reminders and videos on screens throughout the facility so that patients can learn more about eye health and what their options are. 

The next stop was Bladder & Bowel Institute (BBI), the winner of the TASCS 2025 Innovation Award. BBI specializes in InterStim® Therapy, a minimally invasive procedure for bladder and bowel control problems.

Jared Greer, CEO of BBI, joined them on the tour. “We are really excited to open this center in Texas. Our original center is in Harrison, Arkansas, and we could not be happier to expand into Texas; it’s been a positive experience.”

Finally, Hornback and DuRapau visited another award winner: Rising Star Kirsten Burden, BSN, RN, CNOR of Texas Health Spine Surgery Center Rockwall. 

Throughout the tour, the center’s team talked about patient care, as well as staff care. “We have a great team of nurses who focus on our education board in the breakroom,” shared ASC Manager Leslie Lamb, BSN, RN, CNOR. “We have a lot of readers at this center, too, so we started a library corner to share books.” It has been a great way for the staff to bond. 

Spine Team Texas’ Director of Marketing, Bret Maison, and Director of ASC Services, Jennifer Taylor, also joined the tour, with Taylor saying, “We love this…We could talk about ASCs all day!” 

Overall, the tours were highly successful. The TASCS team had a great time meeting industry professionals and getting to know new members better. 

If you want us to tour your center, feel like bragging on your staff, need to share a press release/job posting, or have a great idea, let us know here!