CAPE CORAL, Fla. — When a patient's health care needs can change in an instant, Cape Coral Hospital staff say they need the resources to match it.
Lee Health’s Cape Coral Hospital has expanded to 34 patient beds in the ICU and also increased its dialysis from four to six units.
Heather Kingery, Cape Coral Hospital's Nursing Director for the ICU said the expanded ICU will bring more options for critical care to the growing Cape Coral population and beyond.
The expansion added 11,190 square feet of vertical space over an existing MRI and ultrasound area.
“Our city is growing exponentially our patients we are seeing are sicker so there is a need for more critical care beds,” said Kingery.
Patients who need care and rooms that Kingery said can meet those needs.
In addition to adding 12 ICU rooms and staff support areas with a tie-in to the existing second floor, there is a first-of-its-kind HVAC pandemic mode that allows the new addition to become its own negative pressure wing, expanding isolation patient space in the event of a widespread infectious disease occurrence.
Kingery said it could make the Cape Coral Hospital the epicenter of the area.
“We might see people come down from North Port, Port Charlotte now because they want to use our advanced technology,” said Kingery.
Kingery said the hospital's current ICU unit and their expansion wing are both open and ready to accept new patients as they come in.
