Liberty Hospital is celebrating its first open-heart surgery and the official opening of the new heart and vascular program with a special tree-planting ceremony. Michael Gorton, MD, the hospital’s new cardiothoracic surgeon who will be performing the first surgery Thursday, Nov. 19, donated a blue spruce that will be planted on the hospital campus.

The surgical team from the morning’s surgery will serve as the honorary planters, and both hospital administrator Joe Crossett and Gorton will make comments at the ceremony.

The tree-planting ceremony will take place at 2:45 p.m. on the east side of TreeHouse, just off the east drive into the hospital campus at 2525 Glenn Hendren Drive, with refreshments to follow in the Medical Plaza East lobby.