- February 11, 2025
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Loralei Trout and her mom Erin, a labor and delivery nurse at Florida Hospital Memorial, tour the new pediatric wing on Thursday, May 11. Photo by Jacque Estes
An oversized surgical game was a big hit at the open house. Photo by Jacque Estes
Darlinda Copeland, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center chief operating officer, and Chip Wile, Daytona International Speedway president, tour the finished pediatric rooms. Photo by Jacque Estes
Each pediatric room is designed to keep a child' s visit as stress-free as possible. Photo by Jacque Estes
April Chilson, David Burt, Dr. Cecille Tapia-Santiago, Ed Noseworthy, Bruce Adams, Becky Vernon, Chip Wile, and Darlinda Copeland cut the ribbon to the new pediatric wing at Florida Hospital Memorial. Photo by Jacque Estes
Having to go to the hospital is never “fun” but at Florida Hospital Memorial, it will definitely be more interesting for children.
The hospital unveiled their new pediatric wing and seven pediatric emergency rooms on Thursday, May 11.
The double doors to the pediatric wing were ceremoniously opened after the ribbon cutting to reveal a pediatric unit that was unquestionably Daytona Beach. Murals of cars on the racetrack lined the walls of the hallways and each room. Inside each room there were toys to keep the youngest of patients distracted as they received medical treatment.
The $10 million construction project added 24 inpatient beds for women and 10 inpatient pediatric beds. The first patients were expected to occupy the rooms the following day. The expansion increases the number of beds at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center from 293 to 327.
During the grand opening celebration, visitors received a behind-the-scenes look at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center’s new pediatric area for both inpatient care and emergency care, as well as a delivery unit and neonatal intensive care unit.
“This was a natural progression in expanding our continuum of care,” Becky Vernon, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center director of women and children’s services, said. “Our entire fourth floor is already centered completely on women and children. With this construction now finished, women and children can receive all of their care on this one floor.”
The new 10 inpatient pediatric beds will care for children who need to stay overnight in the hospital.
“Before we opened this unit, we were limited in the types of care we could provide, the conditions we could treat or the types of procedures we could do for children because we were not licensed for pediatric inpatient beds. We could only keep children for 23 hours for observation,” Vernon said. “Now we can provide the whole gamut of pediatric care and treat a wide variety of conditions in children – whether it be for respiratory issues like asthma, or orthopedic issues like broken bones, or even ear, nose, and throat issues.”
