Sacred Heart Launches Comprehensive Spine Center

The newly established Spine Center at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast provides comprehensive care for patients receiving spine surgery. The spine plays a critical role in giving the body mobility and stability, but it is extremely vulnerable to injury and prone to wear and tear over the years.
 
The multidisciplinary team of board-certified orthopedic spine surgeons, nurses, social workers, and physical and occupational therapists offers each patient a highly individualized treatment plan to help patients return to a higher quality of life. Dr. Kornelis Poelstra, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon, serves as the Medical Director for the Spine Center at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. He has been performing spine surgeries at Sacred Heart since 2010. Dr. Charles Wingo, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon, joined the medical staff at Sacred Heart in 2013.
 
"Successful surgical outcomes depend highly on the quality of care surrounding patients in their perioperative period, and are achieved through much more than just a great, evidence-based operation,” says Dr. Poelstra. “The Spine Center at Sacred Heart embraces spine patients with 360 degrees of excellence and continuity of care throughout the whole process. This comprehensive team approach is a remarkable accomplishment and confirms Sacred Heart’s dedication to our spine patients while spreading the positive message to our surrounding communities: Go Spine!"
 
CeCe Noland, registered nurse, serves as the Spine Center Navigator at Sacred Heart. The navigator assists and educates patients prior to surgery, serves as a liaison during their hospital stay, and follows up during the recovery process. To ensure successful recovery, the navigator also measures validated health outcomes. The navigator serves as a single point of contact for both patients and healthcare team members to enhance communication and help facilitate a safe, successful patient experience.
 
The Spine Center hosts a bi-weekly class called “Spine Camp” to inform and help prepare patients and caregivers for their upcoming surgery. Spine Camp highlights the surgical procedure and associated anesthesia, pre/post-operative instructions, and what to expect during a stay at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. All participants receive a detailed guide to successful spinal surgery to use as a resource throughout the whole process.
 
The Spine Center at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast aims to:

• Provide a comprehensive and cohesive healthcare experience through proper evaluation, education, exceptional treatment and follow-up.
• Establish a greater focus on pre-operative education in order to help patients prepare to achieve the best outcomes possible.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality care for all spine patients using a systematic team approach that is patient-focused to benefit each specific individual.
• Measure the progress and outcomes for each individual patient undergoing spinal surgery at designated pre and post-operative intervals.

 
Common diseases and conditions of the spine include back or neck pain, degenerative disc disease, disc herniation, dislocations and fractures, osteoporosis, scoliosis, stenosis, tumors, cysts, and more. Common procedures performed at Sacred Heart include cervical fusion, deformity corrections, spine reconstruction, discectomy, kyphoplasty, laminectomy, lumbar fusion, osteomy, and vertebroplasty.
 
For more information about the Spine Center at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, please call CeCe Noland, Spine Center Navigator, at (850) 278-3261 or email Cecelia.Noland@shhpens.org. For more information about Sacred Heart, please visit www.sacredheartemerald.org.