MIDDLETOWN — Atrium Medical Center is the latest local hospital to begin using a da Vinci robot for certain procedures.

The hospital, part of Premier Health Partners, plans to start using the robot for urologic procedures, such as prostatectomies, in early April, according to a news release.

Atrium Medical Center Foundation is raising $500,000 to fund a fourth of the robot’s purchase price through its “Imagine a Cure” campaign, which is meant to expand and enhance cancer care at the medical center. Atrium Auxiliary Middletown made the lead gift of $100,000. Pat and Karen Piccioni of Middletown are co-chairing the campaign.

In robot-assisted surgery, the surgeon sits at a console a few feet from the patient. Using a high-powered camera, the surgeon controls robotic arms that hold surgical tools. The surgical system translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements at the console into precise movements of surgical instruments inside the patient, according to the news release. A surgical team at the patient’s side supervises the robotic arms.

Advocates of the surgery say smaller incisions can mean shorter hospital stays, less pain and faster patient recovery times. But some surgeons have said such technology isn’t a substitute for a surgeon’s training and skill.