Andrews Institute Opens
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

It's no exaggeration to say Gulf Breeze will never be the same again, now that the Andrews Institute is open.

The institute, which is named for world renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, is a one-of-a-kind, world class facility that could attract Olympians, professional athletes and patients from as far away as the Middle East to receive surgery, rehabilitation, performance training and to provide on-site training to medical professionals.

The public is invited to tour the 127,000 square foot facility on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to see how the pieces fit together.

The first building is home to the ambulatory surgical center, outpatient rehabilitation, imaging services and medical offices.

Dr. Greg Hickman, anesthesiologist, tells Andrews Institute Administrator Chad Gilliland iabout the techniques he is using to speed recovery from surgery.

The luxurious facility has Mediterranean style architecture and inlaid tiles throughout. Four oversized surgical suites adjoin a lobby where state-ofthe art video equipment monitors each scalpel cut and projects it onto a screen for other physicians, including Dr. Andrews himself, to watch and add input if necessary.

Dr. Andrews began operating in the facility last month and continues to come at least once a week from his home in Birmingham, Ala.

Upstairs, 31 physicians see patients in their offices, including the physicians affiliated with Dr. Andrews plus specialists in pain management, cosmetic surgery, ophthalmology, neurosurgery and more.

ABOVE LEFT: Alex Lincoln, himself a former national football league player and now the director of athletic performance at Andrews Institute, demonstrates the hydraulic workout system that measures the quality of the repetition so the exerciser can better measure his or her progress.

In the second building, the research and development center, everyone from professional athletes to senior citizens can enhance their performance or get back to their gardening routine by following a personalized workout plan which may involve using the hydraulic workout equipment, the custom rehabilitation pool or the biomechanical techniques to restore the full range of motion to an injured joint.

"This offers the best technology in the world," said Dr. Joe Story, one of the key people behind the Andrews Institute. "Here, a grandmother doing her gardening is as important as Peyton Manning of the Baltimore Colts."

This building also has a small scale football field, basketball court, baseball pitcher's mound and sprint track to enhance training for athletes in those sports.

Upstairs, accommodations are made for hands-on cadaver training, plus a suite dedicated to performing executive physicals. Dietary needs are supplied by the upscale eatery, nosh!, which is a cousin to the downtown restaurant, eat!. nosh! is open to the public as well.

The Andrews Institute is also unveiling its 3.0 level MRI, the only one of its kind in a 150-mile radius.

ABOVE: A surgical tech prepares one of the Operating Rooms for surgery.

"It is so advanced, you can see the spinal nerves in the spinal column," Dr. Story said. "It's one of the latest and greatest toys in the imaging world."

The Research and Education Institute is providing continuing education to physicians, trainers and anyone in the medical field. The education center can accommodate groups of up to 120 people for community meetings.

Athlete's Performance is basing their east coast hub at the Andrews Institute. The other locations are in Tempe, Ariz., Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

"Our facility will definitely attract athletes from the southeast and east coast We've had interest again internationally, too," Nikki Troxclair, marketing representative for Andrews Institute, said.

Athletes Performance clients include anyone from junior high age on up to professional athletes who are working to improve their performance. "So conceivably, you could have an athlete from Gulf Breeze High working alongside a professional athlete," Troxclair said. The Andrews Institute is located on the campus of Gulf Breeze Hospital and is affiliated with Baptist Healthcare. The main building has the ambulatory surgical center, outpatient rehabilitation, imaging services and medical offices. The other building houses research and development, performance training, a medical training suite, executive physicals and restaurant.

LEFT: Scott DeMahy, Physical Rehabilitation Manager for Andrews Institute, explains the Rehabilitation Center.