[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 130 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1248-E1249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF SACRED HEART HOSPITAL IN 
                           PENSACOLA, FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2015

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. For a 
century, the dedicated doctors, nurses, health care professionals, and 
staff of Sacred Heart have provided world-class services to residents 
of Northwest Florida, saving countless lives and serving as an integral 
part of the Northwest Florida community.
   Sacred Heart Hospital, which opened its doors on August 31, 1915, is 
rooted in its founding as a partnership between local citizens and the 
Daughters of Charity. Its original mission to provide compassionate 
care to all in the community continues to serve as the hallmark of its 
success. In the hospital's first location, on Twelfth Avenue, a group 
of dedicated professionals staffed a 125 bed facility. Despite facing 
myriad challenges--ranging from hurricanes, a flu epidemic, the Great 
Depression, and both World Wars--Sacred Heart never wavered in its 
commitment to excellence, providing unparalleled care to Northwest 
Florida residents. During the Great Depression, the hospital often 
served patients who had no other means to cover medical services, and 
Sacred Heart's school of nursing, located next door to the original 
facility, trained more than 700 nurses to help serve the community.
   In the 1960s, when a growing community brought increased need for 
expanded health care services, Sacred Heart was there to answer the 
call. After assiduous planning, Sacred Heart moved to its current 
location on Ninth Avenue on March 13, 1965. In addition to expanding 
the hospital's overall capacity, Sacred Heart also built a series of 
units to provide specialized care to the community. Shortly after 
opening its new facility, Sacred Heart Children's Hospital was 
established in 1969, serving as the sole facility in Northwest Florida 
wholly dedicated to the treatment of infants and children. That same 
year, the hospital opened a coronary care unit, carrying out its first 
open heart surgery in 1972, and in the 1980s the hospital expanded 
further, opening a pediatric intensive care unit, family care centers, 
the Sacred Heart Surgical Center, and the Ann L. Baroco Center for 
Breast Health. In subsequent years, the hospital continued to grow, 
adding a new MRI facility, heart-catheterization facility, outpatient 
diagnostic center, outpatient surgery facilities, and the James H. 
Baroco Cancer Care Center, as well as the new Children's Hospital, 
Women's Hospital, Regional Heart and Vascular Institute, the Nemours 
Children's Clinic, and the Sacred Heart Cancer Clinic.
   To help mark the growth of the hospital, from its humble beginnings 
to a truly regional network, the hospital officially renamed itself 
Sacred Heart Health System in 1996. This change accurately reflects the 
care that Sacred Heart provides throughout both Northwest Florida and 
South Alabama. Today, Sacred Heart's health network provides care at 
all stages of life--from award-winning pediatric

[[Page E1249]]

services to care at the Haven of Our Lady of Peace nursing home--across 
eight Gulf Coast counties. Sacred Heart's Pensacola location has 
continued to grow, most recently adding the Bayou Tower in 2014 to 
expand the hospital's capacity in Pensacola to 566 beds. In addition, 
Sacred Heart further expanded to meet the health care needs of Okaloosa 
and Walton Counties by constructing Sacred Heart on the Emerald Coast--
a 58 bed hospital in Destin, Florida--as well as Sacred Heart Hospital 
on the Gulf--a 19 bed community hospital in Gulf County, in Port St. 
Joe, Florida. Today, a century after its founding, Sacred Heart has 78 
facilities serving hundreds of thousands of residents along 350 miles 
of the Gulf Coast.
   While Sacred Heart Hospital and the community it serves have grown 
exponentially since it first opened its doors, Sacred Heart's 
dedication to its patients and commitment to compassionate care have 
never wavered. Sacred Heart's tremendous success is a testament to the 
thousands of individuals that have worked tirelessly over the last 100 
years to serve Northwest Florida.
   Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I am honored 
to recognize and celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Sacred Heart 
Hospital. My wife Vicki and I congratulate all those who have worked at 
Sacred Heart over the course of its history, and wish Sacred Heart all 
the best as it continues to serve the Gulf Coast community for the next 
100 years and beyond.

                          ____________________