In response to outpatient visit demand, the West Palm Beach VAMC completed renovations of the 9th floor space occupied by Primary Care services. Over the past 10 years Primary Care group panel sizes have been adjusted to support the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s initiative on Advanced Clinic Access. Primary Care outgrew the space original designated for the program on the 1st floor. Primary Care Clinics were then relocated to the 8th and 9th floors but this space also proved to be inadequate as it only allowed for one examination room per provider. This was far short of the desirable two rooms per provider needed to allow for smoother patient flow. There was also no space for anticipated growth in residency programs and other areas of special emphasis.

Consistent with the Eligibility Reform Act of 1998, the newly reconfigured space allows the veteran comprehensive and efficient access to primary care services. The project design reconfigured former inpatient space making it appropriate for Primary Care clinic functions and operations. In renovating the 9th floor, room sizes were reduced from 369 to 120 square feet and the number of outpatient exam/treatment rooms was increased from 37 to 72. The clinic is designed in such a way as to minimize the amount of space needed to perform each function, improve the flow of patients through the clinic, and maximize the productivity of each staff member involved in the care process. In addition, providers are no longer using exam rooms as office space. In making these functions separate, examination/treatment space can be used more effectively.

The investment was in direct support of Veteran Health Administration (VHA) Goals: put quality first until first in quality; provide easy access to medical knowledge, expertise and care; enhance, preserve and restore patient function; exceed patients’ expectations; maximize resources used to benefit veterans; and build healthy communities.

Abraham and Talya Schwarzberg recently celebrated the opening of their oncology practice, Cancer Center of South Florida which is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. They were joined by 200 guests at the reception. The Cancer Center combines medical excellence with the most comprehensive care and compassion to meet the individual needs of each patient

To commemorate the birth of West Boca Medical Center’s (WBMC) newest addition, a 3,200 square-foot expansion of its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the hospital recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony and patient reunion at the hospital.

The NICU addition further expands WBMC’s capacity to provide services to premature and at-risk infants. WBMC’s NICU holds the only Level III designation in North Broward County and Boca Raton, the highest-level rating offered by the state.

Housed on the first floor, the centerpiece of the new four-story NICU structure features 10 state-of-the-art NICU beds – increasing the facility’s capacity from 24 to 34 beds. The three additional floors, totaling to 8,600 square feet, house the hospital’s pharmacy, sleep lab and physical therapy centers.

(l-r) Abby Jagarnauth, Director of the NICU; Louise Toby-Harris, Director of OB; Shanna St. John, Executive Director March of Dimes, Palm Beach Division; Jeff Schildkraut, Chair-elect of the West Boca Chamber; Barry Epstein, President of West Boca Chamber; Ari Miller and son, Guest Speaker for West Boca Medical Center; Mitch Feldman, CEO of West Boca Medical Center; JC Perrin, Board Member at West Boca Medical Center; Troy McClellan, President of Greater Boca Raton Chamber; and Tom Kruse, Chair of West Boca Chamber.