South Shore Hospital Opens Intermediate Care Unit

South Shore Hospital, part of South Shore Health System, successfully concluded the second-phase of its major construction project to enhance the Critical Care platform in Weymouth with the opening of the Intermediate Care Unit, located on on Pratt 6.

The $62-million construction project began with the opening of the Richard and Joann Aubut Critical Care Unit last October. Phase two involved the renovation of the old critical care unit into the new 24-bed patient care unit, which opened on September 5.

“The opening of Pratt 6, along with the Aubut CCU, will help make it possible for our highly-skilled team of physicians, nurses, and other caregivers to provide a level of care unavailable elsewhere in the region,” said Gene E. Green, MD, MBA, President and CEO of South Shore Health System. "We are transitioning to a Health System model where the sickest of the sick should be seen in the hospital setting. We firmly believe having access to essential, critical care resources benefits the communities we serve in many ways.” 

The 24 patient rooms, 12 of which are intermediate care managed by the intensivist service team and 12 staffed beds for medical-surgical telemetry services which are managed by the hospitalist service team, are all private occupancy and have windows for proper lighting, which studies have shown helps enhance patient recovery. 

All the rooms are equipped with bedside hemodynamic monitoring as well as telemetry monitoring. Each room was built with the patient and their families in mind, as all 24 rooms are equipped with a bathroom and a shower, and a couch that converts to a bed, allowing families to stay close to their loved ones. 

The design of the rooms is meant to have the same look and feel as the Aubut CCU. 

Colleagues who will work on Pratt 6 have been training for weeks to prepare for the opening of the unit to get them accustomed to the new space. 

“The Aubut CCU allowed us to create a cutting-edge medical environment for patients, as well as family and staff.  This next phase ensures patients have the opportunity to be cared for in an environment that is ‘just right,’” said Mark Hershey, MD, Chair of Critical Care Medicine, South Shore Health System. “Patients who are well enough to not be in the ICU, but too sick to be cared for on the general medical-surgical floor, will now be cared for on Pratt 6 in a setting that is most appropriate.” 

The Aubut Critical Care Unit and Intermediate Care Unit were made possible by the philanthropic support of our community. Our Mission Critical campaign ensures we're ready to provide state-of-the-art care for the next century. Click here to learn more.