“ This technology doesn’ t replace the surgeon— it sharpens their skills,” said Denyse Bales-Chubb, President and CEO for AdventHealth Palm Coast and the Flagler / St. Johns market.“ Think of it as putting the best tools in the best hands. That means smaller incisions, quicker recoveries, and less time in the hospital for our patients.”
The da Vinci 5 is the latest evolution in roboticassisted surgery, designed to enhance a surgeon’ s capabilities with improved visualization, dexterity, and control. It supports a wide range of procedures across specialties such as oncology, urology, gynecology, and general surgery.
This new system joins AdventHealth’ s existing robotic fleet in Flagler County, which includes the da Vinci Xi, introduced in 2014. Over the past 18 months, the surgical teams at both AdventHealth Palm Coast and AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway have completed nearly 950 robotic-assisted procedures, demonstrating the growing demand and success of this minimally invasive approach.
Leading the hospital’ s robotic surgery program is Dr. Abubaker Ali, a fellowship-trained advanced
gastrointestinal surgeon with a special focus on cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and pancreas. Dr. Ali views the addition of the da Vinci 5 as a pivotal moment for the hospital’ s surgical capabilities.
“ This changes what’ s possible for our patients,” said Dr. Ali.“ Adding this new robot enables us to take on more complex cases and still get patients home to heal sooner.”
The expansion of robotic surgery is not only a technological advancement, it’ s a communitydriven achievement.“ Our community helps make this happen,” added Bales-Chubb.“ Their support is bringing some of the most advanced tools in medicine right here to Palm Coast.”
Looking ahead, AdventHealth Palm Coast is positioning itself as a regional destination for complex surgical care. In 2025, the AdventHealth East Florida Division established a comprehensive robotic surgery committee to further enhance and streamline robotic programs across its seven hospitals and five ambulatory surgery centers in Flagler, Lake, and Volusia counties.
To learn more about AdventHealth’ s general surgery team and robotic capabilities, visit LeadingSurgicalCare. com.
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