Saint Alphonsus Celebrates Opening of Idaho's Only Neuro, Surgical, Trauma ICU

Hospital Named Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction by National Organization

Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center today celebrated the opening of the first advanced Neuro, Surgical, Trauma Intensive Care Unit in the state with a blessing and ribbon cutting ceremony.

The new 37,535 square foot facility will be staffed by board-certified neuro critical care and critical care acute care surgeons. These highly specialized providers will provide advanced care to ensure patients can get care close to home without leaving Idaho. The unit includes 18 ICU and 17 stepdown rooms (stepdown rooms provide an intermediate level of care between ICU’s and general medical-surgical units).

“As the region’s most advanced Level II Trauma Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center, it only made sense for us to respond to the needs of our growing community by opening this new ICU,” said David McFadyen, President of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. “We are already the destination for neuro trauma care, and this unit puts the latest technology in the hands of our experts.”

The new unit will feature the latest technology, including a portable CT scanner for bedside surveillance scans to eliminate the need to transport critically ill patients for imaging. The portable scanner was purchased with proceeds from the 2022 Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees. Other features include fixed and portable Natus EEG brain monitoring, ceiling booms to allow 360-degree access to ICU patients, ceiling-mounted lifts in every room to assist moving patients and reduce physical stress on staff, large interdisciplinary workstations to allow staff to observe patients at all times, and dedicated elevator access to the helicopter landing pad on the hospital roof, Emergency room and operating rooms. All patient rooms are private, with private bathrooms and large family areas with sleeper sofas.

“We will be further expand our ability to care for those critically ill patients who suffer from the most common to the most complex neurological disorders, ranging from spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries to brain infections, seizures, stroke and tumor,” said Neuro Intensivist Spencer Craven, MD, co-Medical Director of the new unit.

“The number of trauma cases is growing as the population of the Treasure Valley and the region grows. There’s a greater need for advanced, specialized surgical critical care, and this new unit provides that 24/7 support,” said Dr. Rashna Ginwalla, Trauma Surgeon and co-Medical Director.

Staffed by a team of physicians and staff including fellowship trained neuro critical care intensivists, critical care surgical intensivists, neurosurgeons and other specialists. The 35-bed unit will expand the number of ICU beds at the Boise hospital to 77, helping to address a shortage of ICU beds in the region.

Additionally, the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) has designated Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center as a Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction, in recognition of its commitment to Skull Base specialty care. Saint Alphonsus is the only hospital in Idaho, and one of only 48 in the United States and Canada to earn this distinction.

Skull base surgery is a highly specialized, minimally invasive surgical technique for evaluating, diagnosing and treating benign or cancerous growths located on the underside of the brain, the base of the skull and the upper vertebrae of the spinal column.

Brain abnormalities that are treated with skull base surgery include, but are not limited to, skull base tumor, aneurysm, trigeminal neuralgia, brain abscess, hematoma, arteriovenous malformation, and hydrocephalus.

This includes areas like the undersurface of the brain and important nerves and vessels that exit out of the brain to support senses such as sight, smell, and hearing. It is extremely specialized due to the complex anatomy and the difficulty in accessing this area of the body, neurosurgeons and other surgical specialists dedicate advanced training specifically to operating on tumors, lesions, and aneurysms found at the skull base.

The Skull Base team at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center will treat patients in the new Neuro, Surgical, Trauma ICU and includes Dr. Erin Reilly (Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery), Dr. Ondrej Choutka (Neurosurgery), Dr. Cole Anderson (Oral Maxillo-facial Surgery), and Dr. Don Raphael Wynn (Neuro-ophthalmology).

The Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction designation is based on meeting North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) membership criteria and may not be construed as a Medical Referral.