Forsyth Medical Center 
2005 News Releases
Forsyth Medical Center Opens First Two Floors of $27.5 Million Intensive Care Facility
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May 31, 2005 Contact: Freda Springs, Forsyth Medical Center, (336) 718-4050 or pager (336) 761-3106 |
Winston-Salem, NC - Featuring advanced movable intensive care monitoring technology and family friendly amenities, Forsyth Medical Center (FMC) will open the first two floors of its new three-story, $27.5 million intensive care facility Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.
The main floor of the new facility will include a new 30-bed Intensive Care Unit and a variety of amenities for families of patients.
The ground floor will include space for the medical center's respiratory therapy department, IV pharmacy and offices and meeting space for staff, physicians and volunteers.
The top floor of the new ICU facility is scheduled to open in November 2005 and will include an additional 20 intensive care and 10 intermediate care beds.
"Our new ICU incorporates the highest level of care and state-of-the-art functionality, as well as provides a number of unique amenities to enhance the comfort of patients and their families," says Sallye Liner, FMC's chief operating officer. "Because of its design it will serve as a model for other hospital ICUs around the country."
The new ICU will feature:
- Patient rooms equipped with a suspended ceiling arm system that allows the patient monitors, such as cardiac, ventilation and blood pressure to be moved based on the patients comfort and needs. This is one of the largest installations of this type of monitoring system in the nation.
- A patient lift system installed in the ceiling for patient comfort and to reduce staff injuries. FMC is the first ICU in the state to offer this type of lift system.
- ICU nursing stations set up just outside the patient rooms for better observation and faster response.
- A large family room to make the families as comfortable as possible. Nine recliners are provided for those that stay overnight.
Additional amenities include meal delivery service for patient families from the medical center's restaurant, internet connections to send updates to family members and lockers for patient families to store belongings.
Forsyth Medical Center is one of seven hospitals that are part of Novant Health, a not-for-profit healthcare system based in North Carolina. In addition to Forsyth Medical Center, other hospital affiliates include Medical Park Hospital in Winston-Salem and Thomasville Medical Center in Thomasville; also Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews and Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville in the Charlotte area. Other facilities and programs of Novant Health include three philanthropic foundations, two nursing home and senior residential facilities, physician clinics, outpatient surgery and diagnostic centers, rehabilitation programs and community health outreach programs. Novant Health has been nationally recognized as the "Best in Industry for Working Mothers" by Working Mother Magazine and one of the "Top 40 Family-Friendly NC Companies" by Charlotte Parent and Piedmont Parent magazines. Additionally, Novant Health was named to the 2003 SMG Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks in the country.
