“We are a hometown care facility providing high tech and high touch care,” said Phillip Wright, chief executive officer at Santa Rosa Medical Center, (SRMC). He said great things are happening at the medical complex located on Berryhill Road. He said Community Health Systems, who purchased the hospital last January, committed over $9 million to SRMC for capital improvements.
“One of those improvements is the new emergency room, costing $7 million,” he said. Currently, said Wright, the plan is to break ground during the first quarter of 2015. The new emergency room will expand from its 7,000 square foot area to an 18,000 square foot facility. “It will be a brand new, modern emergency room,” he said. Wright said the local hospital is investing in equipment and facilities to provide excellent services residents in Santa Rosa County needs.
Since January, Wright said they’ve installed a $400,000 flouroscopy x-ray unit to provide better imaging, and also upgraded one of their CT scanners. They are also putting in a $450,000 nurse call patient communication system for in patients. “The call system is state-of-the-art,” he said. The new Iris iQ 200 Select Automated Urine Microscopy Analyzer and iChem Velocity installed recently takes much of the tediousness out of every day lab work and cuts work time for staff.
Wright also said the medical facility has a new two bed sleep disorder lab where patients can come in and sleep for a night while being monitored to ascertain the depth of sleep apnea diagnosis. “The sleep center is received well in the community,” he said, along with Women’s Place, providing diagnostic testing for women. “It’s beautiful. It was built for women to feel comfortable,” he said. Wright said every aspect of care available in Pensacola can be found in Santa Rosa County for women’s health. Certified Breast Navigator Sherry Pitts said the Women’s Place caters to women in a very special way.
“We walk the patient through the process if a patient has an abnormality,” she said. She said they explain in detail what is happening to the patient and the process of treatment. If needed, she will attend office visits with the doctor with the patient, and if imaging is needed, she will minimize the time from an office visit to imaging, to waiting for results. She said they strive for a one day time event.
“We can go over results without having to wait to hear from the doctor. We also help with financing those who are self-pay,” she said. Pitts said at the Women’s Place they have a gift closet with items such as scarves, wigs, hats and other items for education, all provided by American Cancer Society, (ACS). If a patient is diagnosed with any type of cancer, they can sign up for services provided through ACS at the Women’s Place.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Santa Rosa Medical Center provides state-of-the-art care