As a young cadet at the Virginia Military Institute, defensive end Matt Kluk once had 20 tackles in a single game, an accomplishment that inked his name into the record books of the prestigious military school.

What fans may not have realized then is that the young Kluk was chummy with the sideline doctor. Every time a player was injured, Kluk took a particular interest. Off the field, Kluk accompanied the doctor into the surgical suite and watched the surgeon fix orthopedic injuries. The experience fueled Kluk’s interest in becoming a doctor.

Today, after years of schooling and a residency at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he helped care for soldiers who suffered severe orthopedic and blast injuries in combat, Kluk is working at UCHealth Grandview Hospital doing orthopedic surgery, specifically total and partial knee replacements and hip replacements.

“I feel like orthopedics provided the opportunity to make the best impact on a person’s life in terms of returning them to function,’’ Kluk said. “It’s what orthopedics is all about, getting people back to doing hiking, biking, all of those types of things.

“That return to function — that’s gratifying and what drew me into it,’’ Kluk said.

His teammates now are other orthopedic surgeons who care for patients at Grandview, a convenient, easy-to-access hospital dedicated to orthopedic care that also offers rehabilitation, general surgery, ICU beds, outpatient imaging and lab, and an Emergency Department where the wait time is slim to none. A new Medical Office Building on the campus is under construction and will expand services for orthopedics, primary care and rehabilitation.

“It being essentially an orthopedic hospital, things are streamlined,’’ Kluk said. “Nurses have expertise in caring for orthopedic patients, the physical therapists are experts in getting people up and moving and if a nurse or therapist has a concern, they contact the doc directly, expediting care.’’

Easy access, beautiful accommodations

Located just off Interstate 25 near the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Grandview Hospital offers patients a modern-day health care experience. Rooms have flat-panel televisions, fold-out couches for visitors and are bathed in natural light, which studies show offers healing all of its own. Patient in rooms on the west side of the hospital have views of Pikes Peak; patients on the east side can view the rocky outcropping known as Pulpit Rock.

“One of the huge advantages at Grandview is accessibility. Patients can exit the interstate and be here within minutes. The hospital is designed so patients can park close to the front door and access what they need very quickly,’’ said Andy Ritchie, chief administrative officer and vice president of operations for Grandview.

Ritchie said the 22-bed hospital offers meals that are made-to-order and the chef enjoys creating fresh, farm-to-table meals that aid in healing and experience.

“Most of the patients we care for come to us as healthy people. They’re having a knee or hip replacement to improve their lives and get back to the activities that they love to do. Our chef is a believer in fresh, seasonal foods. If someone is really craving a steak or a fresh salmon salad, we’ll make that happen,’’ Ritchie said.

Orthopedic-focused hospital

As an orthopedic-focused hospital, Grandview offers total joint replacement surgeries for knees and hips; foot and ankle; comprehensive hand, forearm and elbows; and shoulder surgeries. Orthopedic trauma injuries are cared for at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, southern Colorado’s only Level I Trauma Center.

Grandview has recently begun using a Mako Robot to aide Dr. Kluk, Dr. Jim Duffey, Dr. Jordan Schaeffer, and Dr. Tyler Bron in total and partial knee replacement and hip replacement surgeries.

“The robot is beneficial to patients because it allows a surgeon the ability to position components exactly where you make your cuts,’’ Kluk said. “The added benefit of the robot, and the short-term data in the partial knee applications, shows that there is better survivorship and better component positioning.

“For patients, that means less pain, less soft tissue irritation and theoretically, better long-term outcomes,’’ Kluk said. The robot was paid for, in part, by generous donors who attended the Memorial Hospital Foundation Gala in May.

Most of the patients who choose joint replacement are Baby Boomers or those who have participated in sporting activities.

“It’s a combination. There’s a lot of Baby Boomers but certainly there are a lot of people in Colorado who are hard on their hips and knees from hiking, biking, skiing, etc. We’re certainly seeing some younger patients who have arthritis,’’ Kluk said.

Motion is lotion

Patients who have joint replacements usually arrive at Grandview in the morning, spend one hour in surgery, wake up and go to their room in the hospital. They have physical therapy the same day or the next day, spend two to three days in the hospital and go home. Getting patients up and out of their beds the same day of surgery is a best practice.

“It’s better for your heart and lungs, so it improves your pulmonary status, respiratory status and also prevents blood clots. It helps with overall well-being and physical therapy. ‘Motion is lotion’ as they say,’’ Kluk said.

After patients leave the hospital, a nurse navigator calls to make sure the individual has an appointment scheduled with their primary care physician and their orthopedic surgeon.

“We are there to answer any questions patients may have,’’ said Ritchie. “We have heard from a patient who says, ‘My knee feels a little bit warm, it’s red and I’m nervous about it.’ We want to be able to address that patient’s concern immediately, and say, ‘Yes, that sounds normal or based on your symptoms, you need to go to the Emergency Department.’

“By providing that continuity of care, we can avoid unnecessary readmissions to the hospital that help keep the costs of health care down. If a patient does need to seek emergency care, they have a point of contact who can advise them,’’ Ritchie said.

Dr. Matt Javernick, an orthopedic sports and shoulder surgeon, enjoys caring for patients at Grandview because it is an orthopedic-focused hospital with state-of-the-art technology.

“My goal for my shoulder patients is first to improve pain,’’ Javernick said. “This is often pain that occurs at night and it can be disabling if not properly addressed.

“After first improving a patient’s ability to sleep, I can then get them back to their preferred sports or hobbies in a timely fashion. My goal is to get all patients back to an active lifestyle to help maintain their overall health.’’

General surgery and the Emergency Room

Doctors and nurses also care for patients at Grandview who have been hospitalized following general surgeries, such as gall bladder removal or an appendectomy. These patients are often admitted to the hospital after coming to Grandview’s Emergency Room with abdominal pain.

Grandview has CT, X-ray and ultrasound capabilities in the hospital. Patients who come to the Emergency Room and are having a stroke or heart attack will likely be taken to Memorial Hospital Central, a Comprehensive Stroke Center and an American College of Cardiology’s HeartCARE Center.

“The wait time in the Emergency Department is basically slim to none. Most of the time, you walk in and can be seen very quickly,’’ Ritchie said. “The Emergency Room physicians who work at Grandview are the same emergency medicine doctors who cover Memorial Central and Memorial North, so they have vast experience and knowledge.’’

The hospital also offers convenient outpatient radiology and laboratory services, Ritchie said.

Grandview Medical Center

In August, UCHealth broke ground on Grandview Medical Center – a 65,000-square-foot medical office building that will house a new orthopedic clinic, a primary care practice with a focus on sports medicine, advanced orthopedic imaging services and an expansive physical therapy clinic and gym.

The three-story medical center is being built adjacent to the hospital and scheduled to open in late 2020. When complete, the Grandview campus will be southern Colorado’s first full-service health campus with a focus on sports medicine and orthopedic care. Through a research affiliation with the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopedics, patients benefit from innovative care, clinical trials and the most advanced orthopedic treatments.

“We are excited about this new partnership between our team of specialists at the UCHealth Medical Group Orthopedics Practice and CU Orthopedics,’’ said Joel Yuhas, president and CEO of UCHealth Memorial. “Through our research affiliation and expanding physician investments in orthopedics, UCHealth will be uniquely positioned to offer our community more sophisticated care, closer to home.”

The imaging center will have the latest capabilities, including DEXA scans that measure bone health and bone density. In addition, the center will have a weight-bearing CT machine, a relatively new technology that is important for diagnosing foot and ankle concerns.

A primary care clinic that features orthopedic experts also will move into the medical center with a specialized focus in osteoporosis, fracture prevention and sports medicine. Traditional primary care offerings also will be available at the clinic.

For Dr. Kluk, the former Virginia Military Institute cadet who found his love for orthopedic surgery in an odd place – the sidelines of a football field – the Grandview campus is a wonderful place to practice medicine and a place to improve lives of patients.

“My goal with joint replacements is to get people back to doing what they love,’’ he said. “My whole goal is to get people to forget that they’ve had a knee or hip replacement. They’ve returned to function and years from now, they’re not thinking about their joint or their surgery. They’ve moved on.’’