Sacred Heart Hospital of Pensacola is expanding its Emergency/Trauma Services with the opening of a new EmergiCare Center designed to reduce wait times for patients with minor injuries and illnesses.

The expansion provides an additional 24 beds to the ER/Trauma Center and will bring 15 new healthcare positions to Pensacola. Patients will enter the EmergiCare Center through the hospital's Heart and Vascular Institute entrance facing Bayou Blvd.

"The Emergency / Trauma service at Sacred Heart Hospital is experiencing a rate of growth which necessitates a new approach in the care of our emergency and trauma patients," said Debbie Bostic, president of Sacred Heart Hospital.

Patients who come to the Emergency/Trauma Center with a minor injury, such as a sprained ankle or an illness such as the flu, are assigned a lower priority than patients with more serious, life-threatening conditions. That system will change at the new EmergiCare Center.

"Our patients with minor emergencies deserve our prompt attention," said Jennifer Griffin, vice president of Perioperative and Emergency Services. "At EmergiCare, they will not be competing for attention with the most serious medical emergencies. Each patient will have the same priority and will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis."

EmergiCare will treat illnesses such as colds, flu, stomachaches and sore throats; minor injuries such as cuts, burns and sprains; and other non-emergency conditions such as skin rashes, ear infections, minor wounds, animal bites and mild asthma.

The new service opened this week and will be fully operational by March 31 with dedicated physicians and nursing staff to exclusively treat patients with minor emergencies. It will serve patients daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sacred Heart's emergency room visits have increased significantly in recent years. And with the recent reduction in the number of Level II trauma centers in Pensacola, Sacred Heart expects to treat an additional 50 trauma patients per month.

"We recognize the need to provide fast, appropriate care for all medical emergencies," said Dr. Gary Pablo, medical director of the Emergency/Trauma Center. "We are stepping up to the plate to serve the extra volume of trauma patients that will be coming our way, while also providing excellent care for less serious medical emergencies," explained Dr. Pablo.

With this planned expansion, Sacred Heart Emergency/Trauma Services will be redesigned to include four specialized areas: Level II adult and pediatric trauma center, a separate pediatric emergency center, an adult acute emergency center, and the newest addition, the Emergicare Center for minor injuries and illnesses.

Sacred Heart Health System also sponsors Escambia County Community Clinic, an alternative for walk-in and primary care for poor and uninsured patients.

For more information about Sacred Heart's emergency services, call 850-416-7000. 

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