“You don’t realize just how impactful that care can be until you are a part of it,” said Jennifer Juhnke. “I mean I am alive today — I survived because of the people associated with my care.”
Juhnke made a remarkable recovery after suffering a severe traumatic brain injury in January after falling down a flight of 20 stairs. She shared her story during a celebration of trauma survivors at Ascension Sacred Heart on October 8th, an event filled with inspiration, gratitude and hope.
Emotional stories of survival and recovery highlighted the importance of Ascension Sacred Heart becoming the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, one of only 11 in the state of Florida. The elite designation became certified by the Florida Department of Health in June, after earning provisional status in July 2024.
The event, held in the Greenhut Auditorium on the Sacred Heart campus, was packed with survivors, trauma care team members, EMS providers, hospital administrators and board members, elected officials, and other community leaders.
Drew Barefield was the keynote speaker and recounted his amazing journey from receiving life saving treatment at Ascension Sacred Heart after a boating accident in 2014 to becoming an Ascension associate.
“The care that I received was phenomenal. For me it’s about giving back and raising awareness of how great a hospital we have here,” said Barefield.
Dr. Meredith Shaddix, Trauma Medical Director at Ascension Sacred Heart, spoke about the countless hours, effort, and resources that went into becoming a Level I Trauma Center. She recognized the many teams and individuals, past and present, who have made it possible. "We have to make sure that we meet every requirement, from doing continuing medical education to the care that we provide to the training our nurses, sub-specialists, and our trauma surgeons receive,” said Shaddix. "It's been years of work."
Level I trauma centers offer nearly every surgical and medical specialty at all times to meet the needs of the most complex injuries. Sacred Heart Pensacola’s ER is equipped to provide comprehensive care for all injury-related needs across all ages, from prevention to rehabilitation.
The hospital’s Level I trauma center includes 24-hour, in-house board-certified surgeons and anesthesiologists, over 10 specialty care teams on site and immediately available 24/7, and two neurosurgeons on call 24/7.
