Reston Hospital Center opened a dedicated open-heart surgery center on Monday, Sept. 14. The $15 million cardiac program is the first of its kind in the region in nearly four decades, the hospital said.

The project added 35 employees and converted four immediate care unit rooms into specialty cardiac care rooms, FFXnow reported, citing the Washington Business Journal. Crews also installed a new elevator connecting first-floor operating rooms to a second-floor intensive care unit.

The hospital cited "heightened demand" in western Fairfax and Loudoun counties as the reason for the investment.

Reston Hospital Center, a 243-bed facility at 1850 Town Center Pkwy., is part of HCA Virginia Health System. Until now, patients needing complex cardiac surgery had to travel to Washington, D.C., according to the hospital's cardiology page. Nathan Vooys is the hospital's chief executive officer.

The upgrades go beyond the converted rooms. The hospital said it added operating rooms and established a dedicated cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). It also modernized its interventional radiology suite and upgraded heart imaging equipment.

An outpatient practice, Reston Heart Surgery Specialists, opened in August ahead of the inpatient center. The hospital is the only Accredited Chest Pain Center in Northern Virginia certified by the American College of Cardiology. It also operates a Level II Trauma Center, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit and a robotic surgery program.

The Washington Business Journal also reported that Reston Hospital is preparing a freestanding emergency department in Loudoun County. Details on that project's timeline have not been released.