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Florida Hospital Ocala will welcome more than 20 students from the Trinity Catholic High School robotics program to learn how to use the innovative da Vinci robotics system. On Thursday, October 25, at 10:30 a.m., the students will have the opportunity to simulate surgery using two da Vinci Xi® robots and speak with Florida Hospital Ocala surgeons. Florida Hospital Ocala is the only hospital in Marion County with three da Vinci robotics surgical systems to provide exceptional care for patients.

Surgeons trained on the da Vinci systems can view the surgical site using magnified 3D HD technology, allowing them to make precise adjustments to their instruments during colon, cardiology, bariatric and gynecological procedures, just to name a few. Robotic surgeries mean less blood loss, less pain, less risk of infection, minimal scarring, and reduced recovery time for patients.

"Florida Hospital Ocala hopes this partnership with Trinity Catholic High School is just the beginning of a long-standing relationship to educate and empower future healthcare and STEM professionals within our community," said Sara Ingram, Director of Perioperative Services. "We are more than a hospital, we are a part of our community and we are excited to offer this opportunity to local students."

The Trinity Catholic High School robotics program focuses on multiple facets of STEM education including coding, electronics and engineering. The group of more than 20 students participate in statewide competitions demonstrating what they've learned through hands-on training and experience.

"It's important for our students to see how what they learn in the classroom directly relates to real life," said Daren Johnson, robotics instructor of Trinity Catholic High School. "The opportunity for our students to get hands-on experience with the da Vinci robots at Florida Hospital Ocala will be an exciting learning opportunity as we prepare for upcoming robotics competitions."

Florida Hospital is committed to investing in the facility and our equipment. The addition to the da Vinci surgical robotic system at Florida Hospital Ocala demonstrates the growing demand in the surgical community and our continued efforts to provide the latest in exceptional, whole-person care to every patient, every time.

The West Florida Division of Adventist Health System is a 1,810 bed health care system currently comprised of ten acute-care hospitals including Florida Hospital Carrollwood, Florida Hospital Dade City, Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Lake Placid, Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Sebring, Florida Hospital North Pinellas, Florida Hospital Ocala, Florida Hospital Tampa, Florida Hospital Wauchula, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, as well as three freestanding offsite Emergency Rooms including Florida Hospital Central Pasco ER, Florida Hospital Palm Harbor ER and Florida Hospital TimberRidge ER.? Additionally, it has one post-acute care facility, Florida Hospital at Connerton Long Term Acute Care, over 45 multi-specialty Florida Hospital Physician Group practices, 15 Florida Hospital Express Care at Walgreens clinics and 6 Florida Hospital Centra Care Urgent Care Centers. The West Florida Division also provides home health care in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, and Polk Counties, as well as parts of Sumter County. For more information, go to floridahospital.com.

Florida Hospital Ocala is a 425-bed acute care hospital with an additional free-standing emergency room location at TimberRidge serving Ocala, Marion County and the surrounding area with 24/7 emergency care, cardiovascular, women's services including labor and delivery, a Level II NICU, bariatric weight loss surgery and inpatient and outpatient therapy. Florida Hospital Ocala also features a certified Chest Pain Center with specific accreditations for atrial fibrillation and heart failure.