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Virginia Hospital Center Dedicates The J. Della Ratta Family Center for SurgeryThe Virginia Hospital Center Department of Surgery was dedicated and renamed as The J. Della Ratta Family Center for Surgery at a private ceremony on June 2, 2016. The dedication and naming ceremony honors Joseph Della Ratta and his family for their generosity in supporting a major expansion of the Hospital's surgical department. Their gift helped the Hospital add two new state-of- the-art operating rooms, recruit and retain renowned surgical specialists, and upgrade equipment to perform the most complex surgical procedures.From Fear to ConfidenceCompassion and communication ease one woman's pre-surgery worries...When JoSie Shelby-Wilson learned her thyroid condition required surgery, a flood of questions filled her mind.Who will perform my surgery? Will it be successful? Will I still be able to talk? To ease her worries, she visited the office of the doctor who had been referred to her to perform the surgery, Victoria Lai, MD. There, JoSie learned that Dr. Lai is a Virginia Hospital Center specialist in Endocrine Surgery, which includes benign and malignant disorders of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. “Dr. Lai demonstrated her knowledge and conveyed it to me in terms that were easily understandable. She spent a great deal of time with me and upon leaving her office, I felt I knew more about the thyroid than most first year med students.” JoSie says. “The entire staff was very accommodating, and you could just tell the people at Virginia Hospital Center really like what they are doing.” “I don't like to feel like ‘just a number’, and at Virginia Hospital Center, I never get that feeling. The employees are welcoming and eager to assist.” JoSie's surgery was a success. Her thyroid was removed completely and test results proved to be benign. Today, she is healthy—and still able to talk. “I am doing absolutely wonderful,” JoSie says. “I would refer anyone to Virginia Hospital Center, for important health concerns and for non-important health concerns because I don't like to feel like ‘just a number,’ and at Virginia Hospital Center, I never get that feeling. The employees are welcoming and eager to assist.” JoSie has two lessons to share from her recent surgical experience. “We should all give financially or with our time to make sure Virginia Hospital Center has the resources to be the best it can be and make advancements in the medical field, and we should all take care of our health. When you know you have a condition, do something about it. Don't wait.” 
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