Surgical Excellence Campaign

Community-driven effort leads to nearly $800,000 in upgraded surgical equipment

The Hospital Foundation and AdventHealth Polk are celebrating the successful completion of the Sustaining Surgical Excellence Campaign. This significant, community-supported effort strengthens surgical care for patients in Polk County and the surrounding region. The campaign concluded in June of 2026 with nearly $800,000 in surgical equipment purchased and installed in the hospital’s renovated operating rooms.


Through AdventHealth’s purchasing power, the total cost of the new equipment was reduced by more than $200,000, allowing donor support to go even further. The campaign’s success ensures that patients in our rural community continue to have access to timely, efficient, lifesaving and life-improving surgical care close to home.

Orthopedic Surgical  Instruments 

“We are excited to have this new equipment in our operating rooms. Through all the transitions, we have maintained a focus on ensuring the doctors and nurses performing surgeries at AdventHealth Polk have the best equipment possible to ensure the quick recovery of their patients." 

Foundation Board Chair, Juli Haynie

Campaign Background 


Launched in the Spring of 2024 as a partnership between St. Luke’s Hospital and The Foundation for St. Luke’s Hospital, the Sustaining Surgical Excellence Campaign was created to ensure our operating rooms always have the essential tools needed to support world-class surgical care. The campaign focused on upgrading equipment needed to support procedures in cardiology, general surgery, orthopedics, pain treatment, and urology. 


In the fall of 2024, St. Luke’s Hospital began operating as AdventHealth Polk. In 2025, The Foundation for St. Luke’s Hospital was renamed The Hospital Foundation in support of AdventHealth Polk. Together, the hospital and foundation continued the campaign with a shared commitment to enhancing the quality, safety and efficiency of surgery for local patients. The Hospital Foundation Board Chair Juli Haynie said, “We are excited to have this new equipment in our operating rooms. Through all the transitions, we have maintained a focus on ensuring the doctors and nurses performing surgeries at AdventHealth Polk have the best equipment possible to ensure the quick recovery of their patients.   

Anesthesia Delivery and Patient Monitoring Equipment 

Campaign Results 


The newly purchased equipment supports higher standards of safety and efficiency in the operating room and helps improve patient outcomes through fewer complications, shorter recovery times and broader access to advanced procedures. These upgrades help ensure that AdventHealth Polk remains equipped to meet the surgical needs of the community for years to come. 


Major equipment purchased and installed through the campaign includes: 

  • Anesthesia delivery and patient monitoring equipment
  • Advanced electrocautery equipment 
  • Orthopedic surgical instruments 
  • Surgical smoke evacuation equipment 
  • Sterilization and infection prevention systems 
  • Sterile processing workstations 
  • Operating room storage systems 
  • Endoscope Processor
  • Harmonic scalpel
  • Radiation protection equipment 


“I would like to extend my gratitude to The Hospital Foundation. Your continued, generous, and unrelenting support for our hospital, and our community, is a testament to the Foundation’s mission and values.”

Dr. Geroge Azar, Orthopedic surgeon at AdventHealth Polk

Newly Renovated Operating Room

“The success of the Sustaining Surgical Excellence Campaign was made possible by the generosity of the community”. AdventHealth Polk Vice-President, Jared Keresoma, continued, "During a period of transition, our community continued to show a remarkable commitment to local health care. Every contribution helped strengthen surgical services at AdventHealth Polk and ensured patients can receive high-quality care close to home." 


The Hospital Foundation Executive Director, Dave Scherping, said, “This campaign represents more than a fundraising milestone; it reflects what is possible when a community comes together to invest in the health and well-being of its neighbors.”