Sacred Heart expands critical-care capabilities

Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola has completed a $4.7-million renovation project to expand its capacity to care for critically ill patients.

A former medical/surgical unit on the third floor of the main hospital has been renovated to create a new 12-room Adult Critical Care Unit (ACCU).

The hospital has hired 29 critical-care nurses and continues to recruit for additional positions to staff the unit, which is adjacent to the hospital’s operating rooms and will be used primarily for surgical patients. The new Surgical Intensive Care Unit officially opened for patients on July 6.

“Our critical-care patient volume has increased so much that the need often exceeds our capacity,” says Deanie Lancaster, SHHP Chief Nursing Officer. The 12 new rooms expand the hospital’s critical-capacity to 40 ACCU beds.

For more on this story, see the July 7 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.