PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sacred Heart Health System, a member of Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit and Catholic health system, recently hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new four-story children’s hospital, which will be named The Studer Family Children’s Hospital in honor of Quint and Rishy Studer.
Widely known and respected within the healthcare field as founder of the Studer Group, Quint Studer is a consultant who has worked with 900 hospitals over his 29-year career. Quint and his wife, Rishy, have been strong proponents for the development of Pensacola, Pennsylvania.
The naming of the new hospital was done to honor the Studers’ efforts to improve healthcare across the country and improve healthcare for the children in our community.
The opening of the new hospital is expected to add 100 Sacred Heart jobs for the local community. This growth of healthcare services will also enable recruitment of new pediatric specialists.
The new four-story children’s hospital will be constructed in front of the existing Children’s Hospital, extending from the current pediatric transport ambulance bay into the parking lot. The new building will include:
- Pediatric emergency department and trauma center: An expansion and relocation of Sacred Heart’s current pediatric emergency department, which is now next to the adult ED and trauma center. Consolidating children’s emergency and inpatient services in one building will allow for more coordinated care and shorter discharge processes for children. Sacred Heart provides the region’s only pediatric trauma referral center.
- Pediatric surgery: With the construction of the new Studer Family Children’s Hospital, Sacred Heart will add six children’s operating rooms. This will consolidate all surgeries and procedures that require sedation into one area with a child-friendly environment designed to include family support, all with the goal of reducing stress and anxiety.
- Neonatal intensive care unit: This expansion and relocation of Sacred Heart’s current NICU beds will enable The Studer Family Children’s Hospital to care for more premature and critically ill infants from across Northwest Florida. The Studer Family Children’s Hospital maintains two specially equipped neonatal critical care transport ambulances for the transfer of premature and critically ill newborns from other hospitals across Northwest Florida to The Studer Family Children’s Hospital.
- Pediatric intensive care: The most critically ill and injured children will continue to be cared for 24/7 by board-certified pediatric intensivists.
- Pediatric oncology: With an expanded inpatient unit to provide specialized, inpatient care for children with cancer.
- Medical/surgical beds: Where care will continue to be overseen 24/7 by Sacred Heart’s board-certified pediatric hospitalists.
- Extended stay/observation: These beds will represent a new inpatient unit for the Children’s Hospital, caring for children who aren’t yet ready to go home.
- Pediatric satellite pharmacy: This includes in-house pharmacists and staff especially trained in preparing medications for infants and children.
- Pediatric inpatient rehabilitation gym: Where Sacred Heart’s physical, occupational and speech therapists can provide care for children during their hospital stay.
- Child life playrooms: Where child life specialists will work with children and families to promote effective coping through play, self-expression activities and age-appropriate medical education.
Sacred Heart Health System and Ascension have committed $55 million, and Sacred Heart will raise the remaining funds from community supporters in order to complete all phases of the expansion.
Source: http://www.sacred-heart.org.
