GOUVERNEUR -- E. J. Noble Hospital has reopened its surgical services, better known as the operating room, following several setbacks and a temporary closure of the hospital lab last fall.

The hospital’s laboratory was temporarily closed by the state Department of Health due to lab irregularities late last year.

Eleven ophthalmic surgeries were scheduled to be completed Monday, July 15, hospital officials said. More surgeries are scheduled, including arthroscopic knee surgery and minor orthopedic surgeries with surgeon George Mina, M.D.

The hospital hopes to offer general surgeries, such as colonoscopies, by fall 2013, according to a prepared statement from hospital officials released today. The only general surgeon on staff, Stuart Hoffman, left the facility in December 2012 following the lab closure.

Nicholas Gardner also uses the operating room for dentistry procedures for patients who require general anesthesia, the release said.

“The reopening is another step forward in the hospital’s plan to stabilize and revitalize essential services for the community,” said Marlinda L. LaValley, hospital CEO. “Our staff and surgeons worked with assistance from staff at Canton-Potsdam Hospital to assure that procedures were in place to perform surgery with the highest possible quality: successful surgery takes a team approach, from the time a patient walks through the door to recovery here and at home,” said LaValley. “We’re committed to safety and quality first and foremost.”

E. J. Noble’s operating room was closed to receive upgrades to its heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system in March. The upgrades and necessary safety checks were completed in June, the hospital statement said.

“Having an OR nearby was a God-send,” said Kenneth Allen, one of the first patients in the reopened OR. “I wouldn’t go anywhere else, especially because it would be a really long drive for my wife,” he said.

For more information, patients and their caregivers should call 287-1000.