One Tower, Three Specialties, Hundreds Helped Through Centralized Care
On July 1, North Florida Regional Medical Center officially opened its four-story, 92 private-bed South Tower, designed to expand and centralize care in three lines of service: cardiovascular, maternity care, and neuroscience.
This 150,000 square foot addition brings the hospital’s capacity to 445 beds. Phase IV Expansion also included moving units related to those in the South Tower so that providers and resources are able to work together to deliver quality care to patients with unique healthcare needs.
“While our new South Tower is impressive, it is so much more than a big, beautiful new building,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of North Florida Regional, Ward Boston III. “We designed this expansion to raise our level of care and patient satisfaction.”
CARDIOVASCULAR CARE
The second floor of the South Tower is home to the Heart and Vascular Suite for cardiac patients. This addition offers more centralized care for cardiac patients, placing cardiovascular practitioners, staff, labs and rooms together in the same section of the hospital.
“Having everything together makes care more streamlined and efficient,” said Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Jeffery Snyder. “An area solely dedicated to cardiac patients with staff specializing in cardiac care allows for better efficiency; thus helping patients get treated quicker and go home quicker.”
Phase IV Expansion also includes an expansion of the cardiac catheterization laboratories, which grew from three to four labs. Non-Invasive and Diagnostic Services relocated to an area adjacent to the tower so that cardiovascular providers, resources and patients are close together.
“I am proud to see how much this hospital has grown since I started here seven years ago,” said Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Mark Tulli. “Consolidating all cardiac resources, along with the 30 new private patient beds, allows for family members to be close – an important part of a patient’s healing process.”
CARE FOR WOMEN & CHILDREN
The Women’s Center at North Florida Regional has developed a nationally-recognized, award-winning program for women. It was only natural that Phase IV Expansion would continue that commitment. The third floor of the South Tower is an expansion of New Beginnings Maternity, with large, beautiful rooms for postpartum care. The addition of a new Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on the third floor allows for more specialized care for babies born prematurely or with conditions that require a higher level of care. The postpartum unit consists of private rooms that can accommodate the mother, baby and guests, which promotes family bonding post-birth.
Elizabeth and Dr. Andrew Smock, parents of twins Jackson and Kennedy, were among the first to utilize the new NICU in the South Tower. Elizabeth delivered on July 24: baby Jackson weighed more than six pounds, but baby Kennedy weighed only four pounds. Following delivery, the twins were placed in the room with Elizabeth, eliminating the need for a nursery and allowing the babies to be close to their mother for feeding and close to their father and family for bonding.
The following day, Kennedy was placed in the NICU to help boost her weight. Because the maternity postpartum unit and the NICU are adjacent on the third floor of the South Tower, Elizabeth was able to walk a few feet to the NICU to care for Kennedy and then make a short walk back to stay with Jackson.
“We have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with the Labor and Delivery Unit, Maternity Postpartum Unit, and NICU,” said Dr. Smock and Elizabeth. “The service and care were awesome and designed for our unique situation with one of our twins needing more specialized care but our desire to remain close together.”
Anthony Agrios, MD, OB/GYN, said that the New Beginnings Postpartum Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are both designed with family-centered care in mind. He said that the expansion is a direct response to research through surveys of both patients and practitioners of how to better extend services for new mothers and babies. The unit is focused on providing quality care and education to new moms, with a focus on breastfeeding and postpartum care. The Level II NICU allows for more treatment options and allows more babies and families to stay together in the same place rather than being transferred to another facility at a time when stability is so important. In addition to the growth Phase IV expansion brings to care for women and children, the Labor and Delivery Unit of New Beginnings has undergone a total renovation. That project is complete and ready for the growing number of families who have come to rely on North Florida Regional for one of the most important times their families will experience.
NEUROSCIENCE
The fourth floor of the South Tower is dedicated to neuroscience care. Patients who are recovering from stroke, as well as neurosurgery and neurology patients will be cared for on this floor. North Florida Regional is a Primary Stroke Center and home to a large and growing spine surgery program. The commitment to centralized care for neuroscience will place providers and resources trained for patients with unique neuroscience needs working together side-by-side.
Neurosurgeon Steven Bailey, MD, said that he feels good about the quality of care patients will receive at the new tower. He believes that private rooms and centralized care are just as important to a patient’s recovery as care from the staff. This environment will create what Dr. Bailey calls a “neuroscience home” creating a neuro-focused culture and environment.
Since its inception in 1973, North Florida Regional Medical Center has grown from a four-floor, hospital with 63 physicians in the middle of what was then a pasture to a 445-bed, full-service medical and surgical acute care center with more than 400 physicians serving over 14 counties in North Central Florida. The rural setting has been replaced by a bustling medical and professional office park, which includes several outpatient clinics affiliated with the hospital.
“Obviously, this is a very important moment for North Florida Regional Medical Center and a continuation of impressive growth that has become part of our commitment to this community that is our home, “said Peter Sarantos, MD, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for NFRMC. “As we open Phase IV expansion, we also are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the hospital. It has grown so much in 40 years, and the quality and care our community relies on has grown with it.”
Photography submitted by North Florida Regional medical center and Footstone Photography