VIPs toast Andrews Institute
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com
As wine flowed and dignitaries toured the Andrews Institute Saturday night at the VIP Gala, at least one prominent surgeon described the facility as one of the leaders in the world.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Rep. Clay Ford with his wife, Carol; Dr. James Andrews with Scott Rein of Salus Surgical Group; Orthopaedic Family Practitioner Dr. Josh Hackel gives a guided tour; and Santa Rosa Island Authority General Manager Buck Lee with Santa Rosa County Commissioners Tom Stewart and Bob Cole.

"This would be big for New York City or Los Angeles," said Dr. William G. Clancy, the surgeon who developed the modern day ACL and PCL ligament reconstruction surgical techniques. "There is no place like it in the world."

Local politicians blended with professional athletes, orthopaedic surgeons and other supporters under huge tents erected to celebrate the opening of the institute, which is a 127,000 square foot, two-building complex housing The Ambulatory Surgery Center, a 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance scanner, FirstRehab, Athletes' Perfomance, Andrews Research and Education Institute, The Executive Physical Program and 38,000 feet of medical office space.