For more information, contact Candy McGuyre at (850) 434-4748.
June 9, 2008
Gulf Breeze Hospital Celebrates 23 Years of Caring for the Community
Gulf Breeze Hospital will celebrate its 23rd anniversary on June 24. The hospital opened in
1985 offering, for the first time in the heart of Gulf Breeze, convenient access to state-of-theart medical care and technology along with outstanding patient satisfaction.
For more than two decades, the Baptist Health Care affiliate has grown along with south Santa
Rosa County—one of the fastest growing communities in Florida—providing improved access
to physician offices and a variety of services.
Meeting the Need
Medical services were extended beyond Gulf Breeze in 2001 with the opening of Baptist
Medical Park Navarre, a department of the hospital. The park offers convenient access to
primary and specialty physicians, diagnostic imaging, lab services, physical therapy and
dialysis for neighbors to the east.
The park in October 2007, opened a new medical office building to attract more physicians to
the area. The physician offices left vacant in the original building have made way for the
expansion of the physical therapy department. Plans are currently underway to open a walk-in
urgent care clinic for treatment of non-life-threatening emergencies.
In 2005, Gulf Breeze Hospital completed a $28.8 million expansion. To meet increasing
demand for services, the project more than doubled the size of the facility, and it included the
addition of the Ciano Cancer Center for patients requiring radiation therapy. The oncology
physician practice the Hope Medical Group now has office space at the center and offers
patient care and chemotherapy services. The expansion also doubled the size of the emergency
department, and both the surgery and radiology departments more than tripled in size.
Last year’s opening of the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine brought an
unprecedented level of services and nationally recognized expertise to the Florida panhandle.
Divisions of Gulf Breeze Hospital departments such as diagnostic imaging and physical
therapy are located in the Institute to treat the athlete in everyone.
Service Excellence
While the hospital and its campus have changed over the years, the care remains top-notch.
Gulf Breeze Hospital is known nationally as a leader in patient satisfaction. Health care
providers from across the United States have traveled to learn the culture and best practices
that are shared throughout the entire Baptist Health Care organization.
In 2004, Gulf Breeze Hospital along with Baptist Hospital and Baptist Medical Park were
honored with the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, an honor that
signifies performance excellence and quality achievement. The Baldrige Program criteria was
established by Congress to recognize organizational strengths in leadership, strategic planning,
customer focus, human resources and business performance.
((more))
What’s New Today
Gulf Breeze Hospital has been very fortunate to have the support of a strong auxiliary. Last
year alone, more than 150 auxiliary members gave 31,219 hours of service, equating to the
work of 15 full-time employees.
Their latest endeavor is an expansion of the hospital’s auxiliary-operated gift shop, which is
now complete. The retail store has doubled in size and is now located opposite its original
location in the hospital’s front entrance. The shop offers trendy and classic gifts for people of
all ages.
“We are proud that 100 percent of our profits benefit Gulf Breeze Hospital facilities and
services,” says Alice Lane, auxiliary gift shop manager.
As Gulf Breeze Hospital continues to provide nationally-recognized care, credit is given to
staff and volunteers for past and future success and growth.
Baptist Health Care is a community-owned, not-for-profit health care organization committed to improving the quality of life
for people and communities in Northwest Florida and South Alabama. Nationally recognized for performance excellence and
quality achievement, Baptist received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2003; and has consistently
ranked in the 99th percentile for patient satisfaction as recognized by Press Ganey. Baptist Health Care includes four
hospitals, two medical parks, Baptist Manor, Baptist Home Health Care and Durable Medical Equipment, Baptist Leadership
Institute, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine and Lakeview Center. With more than 5,000 employees,
Baptist Health Care is the largest non-governmental employer in northwest Florida. For more information, please visit
www.ebaptisthealthcare.org.
###