Vitek Institute for Robotic Surgery

Dick and Marilyn Vitek of Dana Point donated $1 million to establish the Vitek Institute for Robotic Surgery at Mission Hospital - the first robotics program in south Orange County. This gift enabled Mission to purchase the da Vinci S Surgical System, a state-of-the-art robotic system that has been named "Vitek" in their honor.

Using robots to perform surgery once seemed like a futuristic fantasy. Not anymore. Everything from prostate surgery to complex gynecological surgeries can be performed by doctors using the robotic arms in place of the surgeon's hands. This technology allows for more precision than traditional surgical methods and results in less blood loss and pain, lower risk of complications, shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times than those who have open surgery.

"Marilyn and I both feel that robotics technology is very important to the future of medicine and will greatly enhance the patient care that Mission offers," said Dick.