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| Celebrating Our Past, Looking Forward to Our Future |
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Since opening its doors to patient care in January 2003, Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast has grown steadily to serve the needs of the community. As the hospital celebrates a decade of service, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could question the need for a hospital in our community. But they did...
Community Rallies to “Free Our Hospital”
After the closing of Destin Hospital in 1994, the community went without a hospital for three years until another facility opened in Crystal Beach in 1997, only to close one year later. It wasn’t long before Walton County and Destin residents began strongly expressing their desire for their own quality healthcare facility. With increasing traffic congestion, and the continuing growth of the region, the needs were evident. In 1998, a citizen’s committee of residents and business people approached Sacred Heart Health System about building a new hospital in South Walton.
In 1999, with the support of the community and a land donation from The St. Joe Company, Sacred Heart Health System submitted a Certificate of Need to the State of Florida to build a 50-bed hospital. Columbia Healthcare/HCA, then the owner of hospitals in Fort Walton Beach and Twin Cities, contested the application on the grounds that it would cause unnecessary duplication of services and increase the cost of healthcare for area residents. Undeterred, business leaders and the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce launched a “Free Our Hospital” campaign to rally support. Letters flooded the local papers, petitions were circulated, and businesses hung purple ribbons on their signage as a show of support for the new hospital. In the end, more than 14,000 people signed the petition and Columbia dropped its legal challenge that had halted Sacred Heart’s plans.
A Promise Kept
In 2003, after five years of planning, design and construction and a $20 million fundraising campaign, Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast was finally a reality. The grand opening ceremony was just coming to a close on Jan. 27, when the hospital received its first patient in the Emergency Department. Forty-nine more were to follow that day and more than 1,000 more visited the ER during the first month. Fortunately, the 50-bed hospital was built with growth in mind because it wasn’t long before there was a need for expansion. Within the first year, Sacred Heart added inpatient dialysis services, opened a cardiac rehabilitation program and began a project to expand the Emergency Department by adding eight beds.
With tremendous support from the community, the hospital has continued to grow and add services each year. Highlights include the addition of comprehensive women’s services with the opening of The Family Birth Place and Olson Women’s Diagnostic Center, the opening of the new Sacred Heart Cancer Center and expanded cardiac services with the addition of the state-of-the-art Judy & Steve Turner Heart and Vascular Center. The hospital opened with 60 medical staff physicians and 175 associates. Today, Sacred Heart employs more than 500 associates and has a medical staff of nearly 200 physicians.
“The quality of healthcare in a community is always a reflection of the quality of leadership in a community,” Roger Hall, president of Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, said. “Each expansion at our hospital is a tribute to the community, to their support, leadership and vision to continually improve access to quality healthcare in our region.”
Since 2001, the community has generously donated more than $32 million to the Sacred Heart Foundation for the various expansion efforts at the Emerald Coast campus. Likewise, the hospital’s expansion would not be possible without the help of nearly 300 active volunteers who have donated more than 314,000 volunteer hours since the hospital opened.
Throughout the growth, Sacred Heart has maintained a high standard for quality, compassionate healthcare, as evidenced through multiple awards and high patient satisfaction scores. Most notably, the hospital was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® by Thomson Reuters in 2012 and 2008. In fact, nine out of 10 patients at Sacred Heart say they would "definitely recommend" the hospital to others, according to a national, standardized, publicly reported survey that captures patients' perception of the care they received. Sacred Heart's rating by patients regarding their overall experience is the highest among hospitals in Northwest Florida and continues to rank among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide.
“The future is bright for our young hospital,” Hall said. “Together we can make a difference and raise the bar for healthcare in our region.”
A Mission to Serve
Sacred Heart Health System has a long-standing tradition of meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals in our region who need our care, regardless of the ability to pay. And Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast has continued that mission. Since opening, the not-for-profit hospital has provided more than $187 million in uncompensated care.
Through a long-standing partnership with the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF), Sacred Heart has been able to fund the Pediatric Navigator Program, a valuable service for children in need across the region. The program funds a licensed social worker who connects pediatric patients and their families with local and regional resources for insurance issues, prescription assistance, physician information, domestic violence, parenting advice, and any other needs that might come up while at the hospital. The program serves all pediatric patients, regardless of race, creed or financial status.
“Giving back is at the heart of all we do, and the mission of our hospital extends beyond its physical walls.”
Each year, the hospital’s dedicated associates give back through annual service projects, including the Salvation Army’s Annual Angel Tree Drive, Easter basket deliveries to seniors at a local assisted living facility, a school supply drive for students at Freeport Elementary and Middle School, free health seminars, screenings and much more.
“We are blessed to be a hospital founded on a mission, connected to the rich history of Sacred Heart Health System, and committed to meeting the needs of our community,” Hall said.
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