PORT ST. LUCIE — HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital has opened a new neonatal intensive care unit and expanded its labor and delivery floor, a move aimed at addressing gaps in maternity and newborn services as St. Lucie County’s population continues to grow.
Dr. Alex Koetzle, a neonatal specialist affiliated with the hospital, said the expansion reflects both increased demand and longstanding limitations in local care.
“St. Lucie County has grown tremendously and there was a need to improve the services,” Koetzle said. “Until now, it used to be what we call a level one, so we only provided services for the regular newborns, and if there was any complication, basically, the babies needed to be transferred out of St. Lucie County.”…