This fall, Sarasota Memorial Hospital celebrated the opening of its much-anticipated new Courtyard Tower, a state-of-the-art, nine-floor facility with floors dedicated to childbirth and neonatal care, cardiology and orthopedics.

Factoids

Courtyard Tower's first patient: A 41-year-old who received a total hip replacement on Sept. 9.

Cardiac patients can be monitored throughout the hospital via remote telemetry.

"Celebration Classroom"--the final stop before new mothers are discharged.

The fifth-floor neonatal intensive care unit offers an education program for siblings of NICU patients.

Whirlpool tubs and wireless fetal monitors help keep mothers comfortable during labor and delivery.

The lobby features wellness stations where visitors can check their pulse, blood pressure, weight and BMI.

Bedside laptop computers allow real-time chart access and updating.

Features 147 private rooms and 25 two-bed semi-private rooms with separate entry doors.

Built to withstand a category 3 hurricane.

Stairwells are equipped with "med sleds" to aid in patient evacuation in the event of an emergency.

For more Sarasota health news, click here to read Hannah Wallace's Health and Fitness blog. >>