Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center Patient Guide

Remember last year when my cousin had that car accident at like 2:30 AM? Nobody knew which hospital could actually deal with serious trauma. That’s when I learned about Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center the hard way. Been researching Brevard County hospitals since then and this place keeps showing up as THE spot when you’re in deep trouble. Located in Melbourne Florida, they’re handling everything from massive heart attacks to delivering babies every single day. Let me break down why this hospital beats everything else around here.

What is Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center?

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center is hands down the biggest hospital you’ll find in Brevard County. They’re running 550 beds with over 500 doctors working shifts. Not some random urgent care next to a Walgreens. This place never closes, handling routine stuff during the day and life or death emergencies at 3 AM.

Back in 1928, Dr. Isaac Hay opened what locals still call the first real hospital in the area. Named it after James E. Holmes who stuck around on the board for 25 years. Started as a small building and grew into this massive medical complex that’s now the main healthcare hub for everyone around here.

Location and Accessibility

The hospital at 1350 Hickory Street in Melbourne is pretty much downtown where everyone can reach it easily. Being right in the middle matters big time when ambulances need to get there fast during emergencies.

First Flight helicopter service flies in grabbing patients from bad accident scenes or tiny hospitals that can’t handle complicated cases. That helicopter gets critically injured people there way faster than driving, especially when I-95’s backed up or someone’s stuck way out in the rural parts of the county.

Level II Trauma Center Services

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center runs the only Level II trauma center you’ll find anywhere in Brevard and Indian River Counties. That designation means they’re treating the absolute worst injuries around the clock. Major highway crashes, gunshot victims, severe burns, really bad stuff.

Trauma teams wait ready 24/7 with surgeons specializing in trauma, emergency doctors, nurses trained for critical life saving care. When someone’s got minutes to live, having those experts right there instantly available makes the difference between making it and not. healthrader offers medical innovations improving emergency care across different communities.

The Heart Center Excellence

The Heart Center at Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center performs way more cardiac procedures than all the other Brevard hospitals combined. That huge volume means doctors get massively more practice than places seeing just a few heart cases each month. More reps equals way better outcomes for heart patients.

Every cardiac patient gets their own private room giving dignity and quiet while recovering instead of hearing some stranger snoring next to you. They do everything from basic angioplasty up to crazy complicated open heart surgeries using the newest technology available. U.S. News gave them high marks for multiple heart categories like heart attack care, bypass operations, fixing irregular heartbeats.

Pediatric Emergency Room

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center operates Brevard County’s only dedicated Pediatric ER. Kids are definitely not just smaller adults. They need doctors who spent years learning pediatric medicine and actually understand all the weird differences treating children.

The pediatric ER looks fun and colorful on purpose to calm down scared kids and their panicked parents. Equipment fits properly for tiny babies up through teenagers so doctors diagnose right and treat correctly. Having pediatric experts available nonstop gives parents some relief when their child’s facing a scary medical emergency.

Birth Suites and Neonatal Care

The Birth Suites Mother Baby Unit at Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center delivers thousands of babies every year with full care from pregnancy checkups through after delivery. Experienced baby doctors and certified nurse midwives give personalized births matching what families actually want.

Brevard’s first Level II Neonatal ICU runs here taking care of premature babies or sick newborns needing specialized intensive care. Having it right here means families don’t ship their babies to Orlando or Jacksonville during already terrible situations. Advanced newborn care stays close, keeping families in one spot instead of driving hours away.

Advanced Surgical Robotics

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center became Brevard’s first hospital getting state of the art robotic surgery. These minimally invasive methods treat prostate issues, urology problems, women’s health conditions with tiny cuts, way less pain, faster healing compared to old school surgeries leaving huge scars.

The da Vinci robot gives surgeons incredible vision, insane precision, total control doing complicated procedures through holes the size of a dime. Patients lose way less blood, go home sooner, get back to regular life faster. Advanced hip replacements and reverse shoulder surgeries also use techniques you can’t get anywhere else locally. 

Primary Stroke Center Designation

As a Primary Stroke Center, Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center focuses hard on treating strokes super fast. Their goal involves getting stroke patients transported, checked, diagnosed, treated within three hours of symptoms starting. With strokes, time literally equals brain function so faster treatment saves more of your brain.

Advanced stroke procedures using Interventional Neuro-Radiology don’t exist anywhere else in Brevard County. The American Stroke Association gave them the Get with the Guidelines Gold Award recognizing they consistently nail stroke care protocols and patient outcomes hitting national standards.

Hospital Rankings and Recognition

U.S. News named Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center the Best Regional Hospital in Brevard County. They’re ranked 24th in the entire state of Florida and grabbed number one in the Palm Bay Melbourne area beating every competitor.

Got high performing ratings in 11 different procedures and conditions covering cancer treatment, diabetes care, kidney failure management. Money magazine put them on “America’s top hospitals” for heart procedures and stroke treatment. These awards from legit independent organizations prove the quality care happening every day.

Patient Experience and Amenities

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center cares about patient comfort beyond just medical treatment. Most rooms give you private space providing quiet places to heal versus noisy shared rooms in older hospitals.

Modern amenities include WiFi, flat screen TVs, comfortable chairs for family staying overnight. The place stays seriously clean and patient satisfaction scores run high showing they actually care about your experience during stressful hospital stays.

Specialized Cancer Treatment

The hospital treats tons of cancer patients using the newest therapies and technologies. Got high performing ratings in cancer surgeries for women’s cancers, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer.

Different specialist teams work together between cancer doctors, surgeons, radiation experts, nurses giving complete cancer care. Support includes nutritionists, social workers, patient helpers assisting families dealing with brutal treatment schedules both physically and emotionally.

Insurance and Billing Information

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center takes most major insurance including Medicare, Medicaid, regular commercial plans. Financial counselors sit with patients explaining coverage, payment choices, programs that might help before and during treatment.

Clear pricing helps patients make smart choices about care. They follow federal rules giving cost estimates and protecting patients from surprise bills especially about out of network doctors at in network hospitals.

How to Access Services

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center stays open 24/7 for emergencies. Walk into the ER anytime or call 911 for ambulance pickup during life threatening stuff. For scheduled procedures, doctors give referrals setting up appointments through central scheduling.

Virtual visits and telehealth exploded recently letting people do remote video appointments for appropriate conditions. This helps patients get care easily without pointless drives to the hospital when video calls work fine for follow ups or small issues.

Comparison With Other Area Hospitals

With 550 beds, Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center totally dwarfs other Brevard hospitals. That size means more specialized services, better equipment, more expert doctors all in one building versus smaller hospitals shipping complicated cases elsewhere.

The Level II trauma center, pediatric ER, neonatal ICU, advanced heart center create abilities competitors just can’t match. For serious medical problems, this place gives complete care other area hospitals can’t copy leading to way better outcomes. For hospital comparison info, check <a href=”https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals”>this comprehensive rankings guide</a> analyzing quality measures nationwide.

Future Developments and Expansions

Healthcare changes constantly with new tech, treatments, facilities. Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center keeps investing in upgrades, new equipment, hiring more doctors keeping their spot as the region’s top medical facility.

Plans include more surgical rooms, updated patient spaces, bigger emergency department meeting growing community needs. Constant commitment to excellence makes sure the hospital adapts to healthcare changes while keeping quality standards high.For more details.

FAQs

What makes Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center special?

Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center is Brevard’s biggest hospital with services nobody else has including the only Level II trauma center, only pediatric ER, only Level II neonatal ICU, plus advanced heart and stroke care you can’t find elsewhere.

Does Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center accept my insurance?

They take most major insurance including Medicare, Medicaid, commercial plans. Talk to financial counselors checking your specific coverage before scheduled procedures so you don’t get shocked with bills later.

What are visiting hours at Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center?

Visiting rules change by unit. Most areas let visitors in but check specific department policies especially ICU and baby units with restricted access protecting vulnerable patients.

How do I get to the Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center emergency room?

Located at 1350 Hickory Street Melbourne. Drive yourself for urgent but not life threatening stuff or call 911 for an ambulance during serious medical situations needing immediate help.

What awards has Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center received?

U.S. News Best Regional Hospital, American Stroke Association Gold Award, Money magazine Top Hospital, high performing ratings in 11 procedures and conditions from independent quality checkers.