Portneuf Medical Center opens a new wing, adds special care unit

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Portneuf Medical Center is opening a renovated wing and adding an 11-bed special care unit (SCU).

The unit is a new for PMC and is a step between a medical/surgical unit and the intensive care unit. The SCU is designed to meet the needs of PMC’s cardiac, orthopedic, surgical, respiratory and advanced care patients.

“This unit is an important piece of our growth strategy. It adds more inpatient capacity in the hospital and for the region,” PMC CEO Jordan Herget said. “Nurses and staff are trained to handle patients with the most challenging medical problems. As a result, more patients in need of care can stay close to home.”

Investing just less than $3 million, the wing was repurposed, custom-designed and equipped to provide care for patients who need a higher level of monitoring and the specialized skills of the care team.

“PMC has more need than ever for acute care rooms,” Herget said. “The hospital has seen a steady increase in trauma transfers and admissions, having added a traumatologist, a surgeon specially trained to treat trauma patients, last July. Additionally, as needs are identified in the community, we add physicians to our medical group. Most recently, we added three cardiologists and this new unit gives us more capacity to care for heart patients.”