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FOXBORO - The first surgery in the history of the Brigham and Women's-Massachusetts General Health Center at Patriot Place was performed Monday.

Later in the day, a host of facility dignitaries did some snipping of their own as they cut a ribbon formally opening the new center.

Dr. Michael Zinner, surgeon-in-chief at Brigman and Women's, performed the hernia operation and then marveled about the facilities at opening ceremonies attended by about 300 people.

"It was a treat and a pleasure," he said, joking that the comments came from "a guy who takes pieces out for a living."

Zinner and other speakers such as Dr. Thomas Gill, chief of sports medicine at Mass. General, said the center will bring Boston-quality medical care to the area. Gill said the center will open its sports medicine department to area high school athletes.

The youngsters can receive treatment there, have their athletic mechanics reviewed at the performance evaluation center, and benefit from talks by the staff on how to prevent sports injuries, he said.

The $43 million medical center officially opened last week, but formal ceremonies were held Monday evening. The facility is the latest addition to the 1.3-million-square foot development known as Patriot Place.

The development next to Gillette Stadium off Route 1 includes retail stores, nightclubs, restaurants and now the medical center. A hotel is scheduled to open soon.

Patriot Place is the brain child of the Kraft family, which owns the New England Patriots football team and the stadium.

Jonathan Kraft, president and chief operating officer of the Kraft Group, said the vision was to turn a stadium property that was used a handful of times a year into a 365-day-a-year center of activity.

To many of those in attendance Monday the Kraft's have succeeded.

"It's great to have a world class facility here," state Rep. Richard Ross, R-Wrentham, said. "It has become a real economic engine for the area."

Robert Kraft, president and chief executive officer of Kraft Group, said he and his family wanted Patriot Place to be more than a collection of stores.

"When our family was thinking about the whole idea of Patriot Place, we didn't want to do the traditional retail. Anything we do we want it to be special," he said. Robert Kraft said people from around the world travel to Boston to be treated at Brigham and Women's and Mass. General hospitals.

Now people in the Greater Foxboro area have the advantages of those two hospitals in their own region, he said.

The out patient and day surgery center also offers primary care, sports medicine, rehabilitation services, cardiology, cardiac diagnostics and imagining services.

Hospital officials praised the collaboration between Brigham and Women's, Mass. General and the Krafts.

"The spirit and the theme of tonight is really teamwork and what better place to talk about team work than in the shadow of the citadel to teamwork, Gillette Stadium, said Peter Slavin, president of Mass. General.