This week, March 14-20, officially marks National Poison Prevention Week, launched back in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. This annual campaign was established in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of unintentional poisonings and ways to prevent these situations in the household.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), poisoning is a leading cause of unintentional injury or death, second only to motor vehicle crashes. To better understand just how serious the problem is, consider this:

• Every year, more than 2 million poisoning exposures are reported to the 61 Poison Centers across the country.
• On average, these centers handle one potential poisoning every 13 seconds.
• Over 50 percent of poisoning exposures involved kids under age 6.
• Nearly 90 percent of all poisonings occur in the home.

Each year, during the third week of March, the National Poison Prevention Week Council assists communities in planning educational events and circulating information to parents and children about such topics as how to be cautious around household medicines, what to watch out for in traditional cleaning supplies or how to react in case of the ingestion of a potentially poisonous substance. To learn more about National Poison Prevention, visit www.poisonprevention.org.

The most important thing that any parent should know is that when you call the national Poison Help Hotline, you will be connected to the regional poison center serving your area. The Hotline is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, year-round, and offers assistance and answers from a staff of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other poison experts on hand. This important toll-free number to post clearly visible in your kitchen for yourself or a temporary childcare giver is 1-800-222-1222. To locate your area’s poison center and to learn how to poison-proof your home, visit the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ website at www.aapcc.org.

We continue spotlighting our member hospitals this week by introducing you to a facility who just last month earned special recognition for its spine and orthopedic program (more on this shortly). Our featured HCA West Florida facility is Fawcett Memorial Hospital.

Hospital Name: Fawcett Memorial Hospital
# Beds: 238
CEO: Thomas J. Rice
Size of Team: 1400
Contact Info: 21298 Olean Blvd., Port Charlotte
(941) 629-1181

Since 1975, Fawcett Memorial Hospital has been serving Port Charlotte and other surrounding Charlotte and Sarasota County communities. The full-service acute care hospital offers a variety of medical care services including emergency, cardiac, cancer, spine and orthopedic, surgical, inpatient rehabilitation, pain management, stroke care and wound care services, among others. Here’s what you should know about Fawcett Memorial Hospital:

• Special Distinction for Spine Surgery and Orthopedics. Earlier last month, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. (BCBSF) designated Fawcett Memorial as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery and a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement. According to BCBSF, this distinction is based on multiple criteria including acute care services offered (such as intensive care or emergency care), experience and training of program surgeons, quality management programs in place, the level of shared decision making, preoperative patient education and multi-disciplinary teams established to coordinate collaborative care and streamline patient care transitions between teams. A few of the spine surgery and knee and hip replacement services offered at Fawcett include minimally invasive surgery, joint replacement, hip resurfacing, carpal tunnel syndrome surgery, decompressions and arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle.

• A Leader in Pain Management. On a related note, Fawcett holds another special distinction of being the first community hospital in the country to earn accreditation for its Pain Management program by the American Academy of Pain Management. Whether treating patients with serious arthritis, neck or lower back pain, the team at the Spine & Orthopedic Center works closely with our pain management specialists to educate patients and make the experience of being at the Center one of comfort and healing.

• Accredited Cancer Program. In November, Fawcett was granted a three-year Accreditation with Commendation for its Cancer Program by the American College of Surgeons and is the only hospital in the county to receive this recognition. Such accreditation is only given to those facilities who voluntarily commit to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and who undergo a rigorous evaluation process and performance review.

• Excellence in Stroke Care. Fawcett Memorial Hospital was the first hospital in Charlotte County to receive Joint Commission accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center and has earned the American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award for the effectiveness of its program.

• Recognized for Its Cardiac Care. The hospital has earned accreditation as a Certified Chest Pain Center with PCI from the Society of Chest Pain Centers and is the only facility accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for its Comprehensive Integrated Inpatient Rehabilitation Program. With a dedicated team of specialists, technicians, registered nurses and echocardiograph technologists, Fawcett offers a number of cardiac services including diagnostic cardiac catheterization, pacemaker insertion, vascular ultrasounds, stress testing and holter monitoring, and bi-ventricular insertion among other services.

• Expansion and Upgrades Where Needed. Fawcett continues to expand the depth and scope of its services. Last year, the facility treated over 23,400 patients in its Emergency Department alone. Due to the growing need in that area of care, the hospital completed construction on a newly expanded, state of the art Emergency Department, added an additional Cardiac Catheterization Lab for its flourishing cardiology program and upgraded technology where necessary, including the integration of wireless and digital technology throughout the facility.

Since March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we want to take this time to remind you of the importance of colorectal cancer screening. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if everyone over 50 years old were screened regularly, as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer could be prevented!

It is a cancer that certainly plays no favorites. Of all cancers that impact both men and women alike, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Understanding what it is, your risk factors and the symptoms associated with it are critical to early detection and treatment.

• What is colorectal cancer and what causes it?
This is cancer of the colon or rectum. While the cause of a polyp forming isn’t completely known, it appears to be influenced by both family history and lifestyle. Your genetic makeup may determine your likelihood of getting colorectal cancer but your diet, activity level or other lifestyle habits may significantly factor into your level of risk.

• Who is most at risk?
While this form of cancer doesn’t discriminate by gender, it tends to affect men and women age 50 and older primarily. People who smoke or use tobacco and those who are sedentary or obese are particularly vulnerable. Also, anyone with a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis) may be at greater risk. As you get older, your risk of developing colorectal cancer does increase, with nearly 90% of cases occurring in patients 50 or older, according to the CDC.

• What are the symptoms of colorectal cancer?
Unfortunately, in its earliest stages, colorectal cancer typically shows no signs. In its advanced stage, however, you may be experiencing rectal bleeding or blood in the stool; a change in bowel habits like diarrhea or constipation; low blood count; stomach discomfort or bloating; unexplained weight loss; vomiting; and/or a steady feeling of fatigue.

• How often should you be screened for this form of cancer?
There are a few options for screenings that can detect pre-cancer and cancer, and the Prevent Cancer Foundation offers their recommendations on frequency of testing. These include: a colonoscopy every 10 years, a virtual colonoscopy every five years, a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years and a double-contrast barium enema every five years. Other screening tools that primarily detect existing cancer include: fecal occult blood tests normally done every year; fecal immunochemical tests also done annually; and a stool DNA test. For each of these, regular screenings are suggested starting at age 50 unless you have a personal or family history that puts you at greater risk, in which case you may want to begin regular screening at an earlier age.

• What treatments are available?
Traditionally, surgery is the primary form of treatment for this form of cancer. If the cancer does spread, radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be necessary prior to or following surgery.

• How can I reduce my colorectal cancer risk?
Though you may have inherited a family history prone to this form of cancer, there are several ways you can decrease your risk just by incorporating a few easy, good-for-your-health habits. Maintain a healthy diet and consume meals rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day, and be sure to limit red meats and processed meats. Stay active and schedule exercise into your routine regularly. Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. Don’t smoke, and if you do, quit. Ultimately, the most effective way to reduce your risk is to have regular colorectal cancer screening tests starting at age 50.

High blood cholesterol’s just one of many risk factors that can lead to heart disease, but how can you tell if you have high blood cholesterol? By learning how to identify it and implementing strategies to lower your cholesterol on a daily basis, you can reduce this risk for heart disease significantly.

Sometimes cholesterol gets a bad wrap. After all, it is an important component for cell development, protection of nerve cells and the formation of hormones such as cortisol, estrogen and testosterone. It also contributes to the development of bile, responsible for the digestion of fats. Cholesterol and fat are transported throughout the body through the bloodstream with much of the cholesterol stemming from the liver during metabolism of fats and 20% of your cholesterol deriving from your diet, particularly animal products such as meat, milk, cheese and butter. An increase of cholesterol in the blood caused by diet can contribute to the buildup of fat and cholesterol along the artery walls and prevent the flow of blood, leading to possible chest pain, angina, heart attack, stroke and coronary heart disease, still the #1 killer for men and women in the U.S.

Cholesterol is measured through the use of a basic blood test and guidelines have been established to denote desirable, borderline and high-risk ranges. The most significant number is a ratio between total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. LDL or low density lipoproteins hold nearly two-thirds of all cholesterol in the blood. A key culprit in creating the cholesterol plaque along blood vessel walls that can lead to coronary artery disease or heart attack. On the other hand, HDL cholesterol (high density lipoproteins), often called “good cholesterol,” contains a high concentration of protein and monitors the bloodstream for excess cholesterol, transporting it back to the liver to be recycled or eliminated. The higher this ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (meaning high total cholesterol but low HDL), the greater the risk for heart disease. For a desirable cholesterol ratio, you want total cholesterol less than 200mg and HDL of more than 39mg. Borderline is represented by higher total cholesterol (200-239mg) and high-risk cholesterol means you have more than 240mg total cholesterol and less than 40mg HDL cholesterol.

It’s essential to know your cholesterol levels and risk factors for heart disease. You may not be able to do anything about some of those factors, such as family medical history or your current age (men over 45 and women over 55) but there are factors that you can do something about: cigarette smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.

So what are some of the most effective ways to begin lowering your cholesterol?

• Regular exercise. By working out, you keep your heart and blood vessels healthy and reduce your other risk factors for heart disease (such as inactivity, obesity and elevated blood sugar).
• Reduced saturated fats and trans fats in diet. The liver makes cholesterol from the saturated fats you eat, not unsaturated fats, so by eating a diet lower in saturated fats you minimize the cholesterol it produces. Only 7-10% of your daily fat calories should derive from saturated fats. Foods such as margarine, snack foods and baked products can sometimes be made with vegetable oils to increase their shelf life, but these oils harden to become trans fats, associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. To minimize trans fats, check food labels regularly when shopping and opt for foods with little or no trans fat content.
• Increased fiber. Soluble fiber traps bile in the intestine and excretes it, and since bile is made primarily of cholesterol, excreting it means a lower overall cholesterol level. Great sources of soluble fiber include fruits, oats and legumes, such as soy.
• Cholesterol management medications. Doctors would first need to monitor your diet and exercise program for several months to determine if a prescription for cholesterol-lowering drugs would be helpful. Some of the most effective prescriptions include Niacin which increases HDL more than any other medication and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors which limit the liver’s ability to make cholesterol.

If you or someone you know were experiencing the symptoms associated with a heart attack, would you be able to recognize it? People who experience chest pain may be alerted, but often the warning signs of a heart attack are not quite as obvious.

Often women can overlook the signs of a heart attack because they can appear much more subtle than how heart attacks have usually been depicted in the media (often referred to as the Hollywood or movie heart attack) – a sudden clutch of the chest or striking pain in that region rather than symptoms that can impair other unexpected parts of the body – such as pain in the jaw or discomfort in the stomach.

Heart disease is the leading killer of American women, claiming nearly half a million lives every year. Though chest pain and discomfort tend to be the most common complaints by men and women, women are more likely than men to experience some other common, more subtle symptoms that they may overlook or dismiss, according to the American Heart Association. As a result, many people may simply be confused by what their body is telling them and wait too long to seek medical help.

By definition, heart attacks develop when the blood flow to the heart has been restricted in some way, typically caused by blockage in an artery. Often such blockage can lead to pain or pressure in the chest, such as a tightness or discomfort that may last more than a few minutes. In some cases, it may be intermittent, dissipating after a few minutes but then returning later that same hour or several hours later.

According to the American Heart Association, there are other possible warning signs of a heart attack to watch for, in addition to chest pain or discomfort. These include:

• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• An unexplained immediate feeling of fullness in the stomach
• Pain in the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Outbreaks of cold sweat

If you or anyone around you is experiencing any of these symptoms even if you’re not certain that it’s a heart attack, seek medical attention immediately. It’s important to waste no time contacting emergency services and sharing your symptoms with a trained EMS professional who can evaluate your condition properly.

From time to time, we like to highlight the terrific people who make up our fifteen member hospitals so we may introduce you to each team’s specialties and unique offerings. Get to know the team and programs that make up this week’s featured HCA West Florida facility, Largo Medical Center.

Hospital Name: Largo Medical Center

# Beds: 456

CEO: Richard Satcher

Size of Team: 1250

Contact Info: 201 14th Street SW, Largo

(727) 588-5200

Largo Medical Center has been serving residents in Largo and neighboring cities Clearwater, Seminole, St. Pete and the Gulf Beach communities for over 30 years, recently adding a second campus in Indian Rocks (formerly known as Suncoast Hospital). The acute hospital offers cardiovascular, orthopedic, stroke and intensive care services and its high performance standards have earned it a gold seal by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Here are some other things you should know about Largo Medical Center:

• Convenient access to two Pinellas County Advanced Primary Stroke Centers. Both campuses of Largo Medical Center have been designated as Primary Stroke Centers meaning they’ve been certified as advanced primary stroke centers by the Joint Commission and they adhere to the American Heart Association’s “Get with the Guidelines” stroke care program. Learn more about this program from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. (www.strokeassociation.org)
• Tampa Bay Heart Institute. The experienced team at this facility which opened in 2004 has performed over 107,000 cardiac procedures through the united efforts of dedicated cardiologists, cardiac nurses and other cardiac professionals. This unique collaboration helps patients across the entire heart care spectrum including heart disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. (www.tampabayheart.com)
• Expanded inpatient rehabilitation services. Largo Medical Center – Indian Rocks is expanding its inpatient rehabilitation program by ten beds this month, making it a facility with one of the highest therapist to patient ratios in Pinellas County.
• Florida Breast Institute. Largo Medical Center offers advanced breast diagnostic procedures with its digital mammography in a relaxing and comforting environment that both pampers and de-stresses while women meet with highly-trained medical professionals for consultation and testing. Click here for a virtual tour of the Florida Breast Institute.
• The Retreat at Indian Rocks (Behavioral medicine) The Retreat, a brand new state-of-the-art behavioral medicine program, was launched in December 2009 at the Indian Rocks campus. The program offers a clinical model for diagnosis and individualized multidisciplinary treatment by providing care in a friendly, welcoming and supportive atmosphere. For more information, contact The Retreat at Indian Rocks at (727) 586-7118.
• Florida Knee and Orthopedic Pavilion. This unique orthopedic care setting is like no other. Described as five-star treatment in a hotel-like setting, the Pavilion is located atop Largo Medical Center and offers knee cartilage replacement, partial knee resurfacing, total knee replacement and hip replacement. Check Largo Medical Center’s calendar for the next free seminar about partial knee surfacing.
• Largest osteopathic Graduate Medical Education program in southeastern United States. Largo Medical Center recently had its Graduate Medical Education program named as the West Coast Academic Center of Nova Southeastern University. Last year, the program provided training for 62 residents and 210 medical students.
• Recognized Cancer Program. The Cancer Program at Largo Medical Center has been helping Pinellas County residents since 1981 and has been continuously accredited by the Committee on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons throughout that time. Just one out of four hospitals that treat cancer receives this distinction. The comprehensive program offers a wide range of services to patients in all stages of diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and support.
• Florida Spine and Neuro Center. This facility opened in August of 2009 offering a dedicated floor with all private rooms and unique amenities designed to offer patients great comfort and peace of mind. The center specializes in the diagnosis & treatment of back and neck pain due to injury, spinal disorders or disease.
• Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. Located at Largo Medical Center-Indian Rocks, this outpatient specialty program is committed to providing patients comprehensive wound and skin care. A variety of treatment services are available including antibiotic, compression and hyperbaric oxygen therapies; non-invasive vascular studies; specialty wound dressing; bio-engineered skin grafting and other treatment and educational programs.

This week marks Go Red for Women, a national campaign launched by the American Heart Association to raise awareness that women’s number one killer is heart disease. HCA West Florida partners with the organization for various educational and community campaigns throughout the year across our member hospitals, and here at HCA West, we take heart care very seriously. Our hospital network features eight facilities offering comprehensive heart and vascular institutes and fourteen of our hospitals have earned Accredited Chest Pain Center Designation. Together our teams across HCA West Florida are committed to providing its patients full diagnostic and treatment options for cardiovascular disease, skilled and respected specialists to carry out these services and a resource for the latest information about heart health.

More than 5 million Americans visit hospitals each year complaining of chest pain. Our goal by becoming Chest Pain Accredited is to significantly reduce mortality rates resulting from chest pain by doing three things: reducing the time it takes to be diagnosed and treated, increase the accuracy of those diagnoses and effectiveness of treatment and to educate the public on the warning signs of a cardiac event and encourage them to seek help immediately if they’re experiencing any of the symptoms. Those fourteen HCA West Florida Division hospitals which have earned Accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers are (in alphabetical order):

• Blake Medical Center
• Brandon Regional Hospital
• Central Florida Regional Hospital
• Community Hospital
• Doctors Hospital of Sarasota
• Edward White Hospital
• Englewood Community Hospital
• Fawcett Memorial Hospital
• Largo Medical Center
• Northside Hospital
• Oak Hill Hospital
• Osceola Regional Hospital
• Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point
• St. Petersburg General Hospital

One in every three American adults has some form of cardiovascular disease caused typically by at least two of the four main risk factors: smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. By educating the public, we stand a greater chance of reducing these risks. HCA West Florida has established on its website a new Heart Care Center designed to offer patients an opportunity to conveniently and privately assess their own risk for heart disease, learn ways to incorporate a more heart-healthy lifestyle and get basic medical information about several cardiovascular conditions, treatments and procedures. A variety of helpful healthy living calculators are available to measure such things as body mass index, hip to waist ratio and diabetes risk.

The Hypertension Center shares insight into the risk factors for elevated blood pressure and the symptoms and treatments for this silent, deadly killer. Our Diet Center provides a number of heart-healthy recipes and cooking alternatives to minimize sodium and fats in dishes. Read more about your own diet that you may have recently launched with the New Year and assess whether it’s the right one for you given your risk factors related to cardiovascular disease.

Trying to distinguish a heart murmur from arrhythmia? Visit our Heart Disease Center and reference our comprehensive medical glossary of medical conditions, diagnostics, surgical procedures and other terminology.

Take the time to learn about your own risk of heart disease this month, and you’ll take the first few steps to leading a more heart-healthy life.

We’re continuing to highlight the great work being done at our fifteen member hospitals so we may introduce you to each team’s specialties and unique offerings. Let’s take a look at our Sun City Center, Fl. facility, South Bay Hospital.

Hospital Name:      South Bay Hospital

# Beds:                 112

CEO:                      Sharon Roush

Size of Team:           1200+

Contact Info:         4016 Sun City Center Blvd., Sun City Center

(813) 634-3301

For over 25 years, South Bay Hospital has been serving Southern Hillsborough County including Ruskin, Wimauma, Riverview, Apollo Beach, Gibsonton, Sun City Center and surrounding areas. Last year, the acute care hospital treated more than 23,000 patients through its Emergency Department alone. The facility offers a wide range of services which include adult critical care, diagnostic imaging, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics and urology, among others. And when you think South Bay Hospital, these programs and special distinctions also should come to mind:

• Digital Mammography. South Bay Hospital now offers a new Digital Mammography unit, the only digital mammography service available in Southern Hillsborough. The service can produce higher quality images than traditional mammography, and this improved process means a shorter duration of time for the patient exam and a shorter wait for results.

• Primary Stroke Center. The hospital is a Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center and has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission   and  a Bronze award from the American Heart Association for adhering to its “Get with the Guidelines” stroke care program. For more information about these programs or the warning signs of a stroke, please go to the American Stroke Association’s website. (www.strokeassociation.org)

• Bone Density Scanning. South Bay also has added new DEXA Bone Density scanning services which can detect early signs of osteoporosis by measuring bone mineral density and bone loss.

• Advanced Urology Treatments. South Bay’s Urology team is made up of highly skilled physicians who specialize in a variety of urological areas including laparoscopy, endourology, female urology and reconstructive surgery, urologic oncology and sexual dysfunction and infertility. Treatments range from traditional open surgery to some of the most advanced surgical procedures, such as kidney reconstruction or removal, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dialysis, pyleoplasty and prostatectomy.

• Outpatient Rehabilitation Services. The hospital also has a broad selection of outpatient diagnostic and rehabilitation services available to those recovering from a recent illness or procedure. These include cardiac rehabilitation, occupational therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, physical therapy, a diabetes exercise program, speech therapy and a new program called Wiihabilitation. Fitness therapists use the popular Nintendo Wii as a tool to help patients recover from surgery, stroke and Parkinson’s and add movement and physical exercise into their routine by moving to such games as tennis or bowling through the game system.

• Pre-Op Joint Replacement Education. Each month, South Bay’s Orthopedics Department offers an informative class to the community to educate them about what is involved before and after a joint replacement surgery as with a hip or knee replacement procedure. It is a great opportunity for people to ask questions and voice any concerns with licensed clinicians. Classes are held the first Thursday of each month from 2-4pm at 1901 Haverford Plaza, Suite 106 in the plaza located directly behind the hospital.

Last year, one of our goals was to improve the quality and speed of service delivered to patients in emergency rooms throughout all of our West and Central Florida hospitals. Looking back a year later, we’re really pleased with the results and wanted to share them with you.

When we set out to tackle this mission, we quickly realized that we couldn’t simply “fix” one step or make a single change. To improve any process takes some astute observation, careful planning and collaboration by a number of parties who can all contribute to a successful patient visit in their own respective way.

One of the first steps our emergency departments have taken is a multi-level approach to assessing medical needs from the moment a patient arrives. The ER first determines severity of illness or injury and streamlines most critical patients to dedicated staff in a designated area of the department. Any related lab work and x-rays are similarly prioritized. Also, once a patient’s need is identified, the full ER team partners with other hospital staff to get patients over to them to provide prompt medical attention and to free up ER staff to tend to other incoming patients requiring emergency care.

The keys to any successful process are collaboration and most importantly, communication, something that Vice President of Emergency Services and Management Engineering for HCA West Florida Division Adam Rudd says has been put into practice from the moment one of his hospitals is first notified. “Even before patients arrive in our Emergency Department, we are communicating with the ambulance team. Staff members meet patients at the door to begin the process immediately,” he says. “We have busy EDs but making certain that everyone receives quality, prompt and courteous attention is priority one for us.”

Since the launch of its ER initiative, HCA West Florida has posted its ER wait times online at the division and individual hospital websites, by Text “ER” to 23000 and on highway billboards posted throughout various communities. Though the ER Wait Times are an average of the previous four hours, they do represent the average time it takes a patient to be seen by a qualified medical practitioner following arrival, with posted ER wait times updated approximately every 30 minutes. On average, the national ER wait time is about 1 hour, according to the Centers for Disease Control. HCA West Florida hospitals regularly beat this average, with times typically hovering between 15 and 40 minutes across our facilities.

To learn more about our emergency care services, please visit our website at www.hcawestflorida.com or call our Consult-A-Nurse® program at 877-4-HCA-DOCS (or 1-877-442-2362).

So many of us get caught up in our daily routines of work, caring for our kids and running errands that we often miss the signs of illness as they’re beginning to rear their ugly head. It’s important to give your own health and well being the same attention and priority as all of your other obligations, because after all, how helpful can we be to our loved ones if we’re out of commission ourselves?

 One service that HCA West Florida offers for free to the communities all of its member hospitals serve is our Consult-A-Nurse® service which allows you easy access to answers to your healthcare questions, information about upcoming classes or events being held in your area and physician referrals.

 Managed by both nurses and referral specialists, Consult-A-Nurse® helps patients locate doctors more easily by providing them all of the background information and contact details to  set an appointment, including office hours and location, medical specialty and experience and whether or not the physician is accepting new patients.

 Registered nurses who assist with the service also provide free consultation and answer health-related questions. Though they are unable to diagnose conditions by phone, they can share valuable information about such medical subjects as children’s health, cardiac services, neurology/stroke, women’s health and diabetes, among others.

 Please note that Consult-A-Nurse® is not a replacement for an appointment with a physician, but a great source of critical health information, provider contact details and fast answers to common healthcare questions by a licensed Registered Nurse. You should always consult with your physician for further information.

 You can contact nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by phone at 1-877-HCA-DOCS (or 1-877-442-2362)