Community Regional Medical Center adds 10 beds to neuro ICU

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Community Regional Medical Center is taking action to meet the needs of patients in Central California by adding more beds to the neuroscience intensive care unit.

"Time is a brain. So the sooner that a patient can receive acute care treatment for their neurologic or neurosurgical injury, it will absolutely directly correlate with how well they do after hospitalization," explained Dr. Arash Afshinnik, CRMC's Director of Neurocritical Care.

The hospital is seeing more patients in its neuro ICU with life-threatening neurological problems, such as a stroke or brain tumor.

The demand for care started to outgrow the space available.

"Over the last five years, we've expanded to Neuro 2, so then we were a 20-bed neuro ICU. Then now, we've just expanded to Neuro 3, so we are a 30-bed ICU," said Clinical Nurse Supervisor Jennifer McMaster.

CRMC added 10 more beds to the unit, which is an expansion to celebrate.

The hospital no longer transports patients out to other hospitals in Southern California or the Bay Area. This means patients, who are usually from Central California, get to stay in the area and close to family.

"The benefit really comes with respect to healing and family," Dr. Afshinnik said. "There is a bond between the patient and the family, with respect to recovery."

According to CRMC, the ten beds are from the former Pediatric Intensive Care Unit -- which closed last December due to low patient volumes. However, the hospital said it continues to provide the same care to pediatric patients in the ICU.

They believe this change allows the hospital to better serve the community.

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