Florence-based North Alabama Medical Center is breaking records for surgeries completed and emergency room visits since opening in a new building Dec. 6, according to the Times Daily.
After moving from the hospital's old Florence campus, Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, the medical center handled 50 surgeries Dec. 7, said COO Mike Howard.
"The day after we opened, we did our highest volume of surgeries ever done in a single day," he said.
The hospital also has experienced record ER volumes, at times seeing about 160 patients daily, Mr. Howard said.
The increased demand has led to several problems with staffing and patient wait times.
"We did get filled up fast," Mr. Howard said. "We've been running that high pretty much since we opened.
"We were up to 245 patients in the hospital, and that caused a little bit of backup, so we did have some patients we held in the ER, and we apologize for that," he said. "I appreciate everyone's support of this hospital as we grow into this new building."