With a ribbon cutting and fun-filled touring opportunities for soon-to-be moms and the general public, Health First’s Viera Hospital this week celebrated its gleaming new, state-of-the-art Labor and Delivery unit.

The festivities came just days after the health system announced that, for the second year in a row, Viera’s community hospital, opened in 2011, has earned a highly coveted 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

 

 

The new Labor and Delivery unit at Viera Hospital will begin operating Aug. 21, 2024, and transitions obstetric care from Cape Canaveral Hospital as Health First has officially begun construction on a new hospital and medical office complex in Merritt Island, approximately four miles east of the existing Cape Canaveral Hospital.

The Birth Suites at Viera Hospital include 14 spacious rooms for all-inclusive labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum care. Patients will remain in the same room throughout their stay, providing a private space for families. The unit also features two operating rooms.

Health First Medical Group this week opened the doors to its new Vidina Obstetrics and Gynecology office located immediately south of the Viera Hospital campus. This new location is now accepting new patients.  

“The planning and coordination that went into a transition of this scale touched nearly every aspect of Health First,” said Dustin Boring, Viera Hospital Administrator.   

One notable benefit of The Birth Suites is patients will receive the entirety of their care in a single room, which includes the labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum phases of their stay.

“This means that from the moment they arrive until their discharge, families will stay in one comfortable, well-appointed Birth Suite, creating a seamless and supportive environment.”

Additionally, the unit is fully equipped with two dedicated operating rooms for cesarean sections and other procedures, as well as a nursery for newborns.

Allison Gaier was one of more than 100 moms or moms-to be in attendance at the event, and she’s expecting her second child in September.

“We’re super excited to be back at Health First and Viera Hospital two years later,” said Gaier. “We were at Cape Canaveral Hospital with our daughter” – now 2 – “and we loved how they do things there. It’s going to be the same style, same work ethics so we’re just excited to see familiar faces in the new rooms, which is awesome.”

Boring says that the new Labor and Delivery unit at Viera fits perfectly in fulfilling a vision Health First and community leaders foresaw over a decade ago when Viera’s growth was in its early stages.

“When Viera Hospital first opened in 2011, we already had a solid vision of what the future growth of this area would be like over the course of the next 15 to 20 years. We’re excited and honored to provide new and expanded services to meet the needs of our growing community,” said Boring.

In a twist of excellent timing, the opening of the hospital’s new Labor and Delivery unit arrives following word that, for the second straight year, Viera Hospital has been awarded the highly coveted 5-star overall rating from CMS.

Each year, Medicare assigns star ratings based on 46 hospital quality measures, which are divided into five quality categories: patient experience, safety of care, mortality, readmission rates, and timely and effective care.  

Health First’s Viera Hospital was one of only 381 U.S. hospitals (and one of only 15 in Florida) to earn the top 5-star rating.

“Everything we do at Health First occurs through a narrow lens of providing outstanding medical care and an outstanding patient experience,” Boring said. “As we celebrate the opening of a new Labor and Delivery unit that was specifically designed to create and provide an amazing and memorable experience, the timing of the CMS 5-star rating could not be better.” 

READ the full feature in Space Coast Daily HERE, or flip through Florida Today's photo gallery HERE.