The NCH Healthcare System is a not-for-profit, multi-facility healthcare system located in Naples, Florida

Naples, Florida

Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The anchor of the system is the two hospitals (referred to as the NCH Healthcare System - Downtown Naples Hospital Campus, and the NCH Healthcare System - North Naples Hospital Campus) with a total of 681 beds. The system operates walk-in centers and outpatient rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...

 facilities in Naples, North Naples, Marco Island, and Bonita Springs. Naples Diagnostic Imaging Center is an affiliate

Affiliate

An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...

 of the system. The system had 32,746 admissions, 89,189 emergency room

Emergency department

An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...

 visits, 4,291 births, 477 open heart surgeries, 9,493 Wellness members, 566 community physicians, and 3,200 employee colleagues.

History

On March 7, 1956, Naples Memorial Hospital began serving the residents and visitors of the greater Naples area with 50 beds in its first building. In 1966, the hospital added 50 more beds, an emergency room and several specialized departments. Later that decade, several more departments were added including an Intensive Care Unit

Intensive Care Unit

thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...

. The hospital expanded the original building in 1970 to six stories and began construction on a new, two-story building next door. This building was later expanded to six stories and was dubbed the "South Tower" while the first tower was called the "North Tower". Construction on the Downtown Naples facility continued in the 1980s and on October 15, 1984, The North Collier Health Center opened its doors. This facility was opened as a satellite facility of the main hospital. Shortly after, on February 4, 1985, another satellite facility, which included a helipad

Helipad

Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...

, was opened on Marco Island.

In January 1990, North Collier Hospital (now known as NCH Healthcare System - North Naples) was opened with 50 beds at its current location on Immokalee Road in North Naples. The healthcare system as well as the local population continued to grow during this decade. In February 2007, the system expanded once again with the opening of the $64 million Jay & Patty Baker Patient Care Tower at the North Naples hospital.

The Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, located on the North Naples Hospital campus is an acute care unit for frail elderly that incorporates care specialized for this population. The multidisciplinary model of inpatient care is geared to avoid complications and return elderly patients to their level of baseline function prior to hospitalization through attention to individualized care, family involvement, lower staffing rations, care protocols, and the unit’s specialized physical design.

Recent Awards

In addition to earning commendation from the Joint Commission (JCAHO), the healthcare system has recently received awards from HealthGrades

HealthGrades

HealthGrades Inc. is a U.S. company that develops and markets quality and safety ratings of health care providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, physicians and dentists. Quality ratings are devised from publicly available patient safety data and analyzed with proprietary technology developed...

, Thomson Reuters, National Research Corp, and Greystone.net.[5]

Since 2003, NCH has been recognized by HealthGrades for Top 5% in the Nation for Overall Clinical Excellence. This year, NCH has been recognized as the busiest total hip and knee replacement hospital in Florida and 4th busiest in the nation according to Medicare data.