By Natalia Diaz
South Bay Hospital, a 112-bed, acute care hospital serving Sun City Center, Ruskin, Wimauma, Riverview, Apollo Beach, Gibsonton and the surrounding areas, is expanding its cardiac services and building a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. The state-of-the-art Cath Lab will assist physicians in diagnosing and treating heart conditions by using catheters instead of surgery.
Construction has already begun on the Cath Lab, and when it opens in the fall of 2014 patients will no longer have to leave the SouthShore area to receive diagnostic or interventional treatments such as coronary angiography, peripheral angiography, and carotid stenting.
The 2660-sq. ft. Cath Lab will be located next to South Bay Hospital’s emergency department to allow for speed and efficiency of caring for patients with emergent medical needs. A new 1250-sq. ft. radiology suite, which will house a brand new 64 Slice CT Scanner, is also under construction at the hospital. Both projects represent a $3 million investment in equipment and technology.
“We are excited to be opening the first Cath Lab in this area, and give residents the ability to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, right in their community,” said Sharon Roush, CEO of South Bay Hospital. “Increased access to quality health care improves outcomes for patients and families and we are proud to be expanding access to lifesaving cardiac care for the residents of South County.”
The new Cath Lab will add to South Bay Hospital’s compliment of cardiac services, which include a Vascular Center for the prevention and detection of vascular disease, a fully equipped and modern $1 million Interventional Radiology Lab that opened in 2013, and a nationally recognized heart attack and heart failure program.
South Bay Hospital is located at 4016 Sun City Center Blvd. in Sun City Center. For more information about South Bay Hospital, call 634-0496 or visit www.southbayhospital.com.
