The Wabash General Hospital Board of Directors has voted to spend up to $1.6 million to help support its’ newest surgeon. Dr. Brett Weinzapfel specializes in spine and orthopedic care and is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. He performs several procedures not offered by most other spine surgeons in the area, including cervical disk replacement and minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion. But, the current Wabash General operating rooms lack the equipment Weinzapfel will need to perform spine surgeries. At Monday’s monthly meeting, the hospital board voted to purchase the additional equipment in addition to paying $183,000 a year for support that includes providing a staff member to assist Weinzapfel any time the equipment is being used. Weinzapfel comes to Wabash General from Evansville where he practiced orthopedic and spine surgeries since 2007.