An expansion at Nexus Specialty Hospital doubles the capacity of the intensive care unit.[/caption]An expansion that more than doubled the intensive care unit capacity at Nexus Specialty Hospital in Shenandoah was completed in February. The expanded ICU facility is approximately 4,300 square feet and features 16 beds—an increase from six beds.
Nexus is a long-term acute-care hospital that caters to patients who require extended hospitalization. Many of the patients are from Montgomery County, but the hospital admits individuals from across the country that have sustained a serious workplace injury.
“We’ve been able to service those sicker patients in our community,” said Julie Walton, Nexus director of marketing and sales. “We needed to serve them from the ICU at Memorial Hermann [The Woodlands Hospital] to our ICU here.”
The goal of an acute-care hospital, such as CHI St. Luke’s Health or Memorial Hermann, is to bring a patient in for immediate care. Once a patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan has been determined, a facility like Nexus can provide additional care if needed, Walton said.
Nexus deals with patients who have an array of medical complexities, ranging from acute respiratory failure to pneumonia to other respiratory conditions. Patients may also be on a ventilator or on life support, Walton said. The goal of the hospital is to stabilize patients with these complexities so they can take part in neurospecific rehabilitation, Walton said.
The ICU expansion will help Nexus serve additional patients during a time when the local health care industry continues to expand with the addition of Houston Methodist and Texas Children’s hospitals in The Woodlands. Both hospitals are expected to open in 2017.
The average stay of a patient at Nexus Specialty Hospital is 25 days, Walton said, emphasizing the need for additional space in the ICU.
After patients become medically stable at Nexus, some transition to sister facility Touchstone Neurorecovery Center in Conroe. The facility provides postacute care for individuals with brain injuries and neurological disorders.
For more information visit www.nexusspecialty.com.
