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Inaugurated on June 3, 2026, the new Samu base in São José cost R$ 300,000, will house the Advanced Support Unit and strengthen emergency care, reducing the travel time of teams in Greater Florianópolis, a macro-region with over 1.1 million inhabitants.
The Greater Florianópolis received an important reinforcement in emergency care. The Samu started operating a new base in São José, inaugurated on June 3, 2026, with an investment of R$ 300,000 allocated for space adaptation and furniture purchase. The structure houses the Advanced Support Unit (USA), responsible for the most complex cases in the region.
More than just a new address, the change promises a direct impact on the lives of those who depend on quick assistance. According to information from the NDmais portal, the unit was designed to meet the national standards required for the service and also now concentrates the inter-hospital transport team. According to the State Health Department (SES), the goal is to reduce travel time and improve integration between teams.
What changes in the region’s emergency care
The main focus of the new structure is on logistics. Bringing together, in one space, the Advanced Support Unit and the team responsible for transfers between hospitals tends to eliminate delays that previously could cost precious minutes in serious incidents. For the critically ill patient, this type of gain often makes a real difference in the outcome of the care.
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The integration also facilitates the work of the teams themselves. When emergency professionals and inter-hospital transport teams operate in a coordinated manner from a single base, communication flows better and decisions are made faster. It is this mechanism that the Samu of São José hopes to streamline, gaining agility in emergency care for the most complex cases that reach the USA.
How much it cost and how much the State transfers annually
The investment of R$ 300,000 covered the adaptation of the physical space and the purchase of furniture for the new base. However, the initial amount is just part of the cost. To keep the unit running, the State allocates approximately R$ 4.4 million per year, resources that sustain the routine of shifts, supplies, and service operation.
This model of continuous funding is what ensures that the structure does not remain idle after the inauguration. The annual maintenance covers precisely the most sensitive part of Samu: keeping teams and equipment ready to respond to any call, at any time, without interruption in emergency care in Greater Florianópolis.
Who works in the new unit
The São José base has a structured team to handle the most delicate cases. There are seven doctors, five nurses, five driver-paramedics, and four sanitation assistants, distributed to ensure coverage in different shifts and in occurrences that require advanced support.
This composition reflects the profile of the Advanced Support Unit, which is not basic care. The presence of doctors and nurses on each outing allows for complex interventions even during transport, something essential in severe clinical cases and traumas. That is why the Samu staff in this unit is more robust than that of a basic support team.
The numbers that justify the structure
The demand data helps to understand the size of the challenge. Between January and May 2026, the São José Advanced Support Unit performed 665 attendances, according to the State Health Department. The volume shows that the base is not an idle preventive structure, but rather a service with intense and constant use.
The profile of these occurrences also reveals where the unit operates most. Of the total recorded in the period, 74% were clinical cases involving adults and children, while 18% were related to traumas. These percentages help Samu to calibrate teams and resources according to the reality of the population served in the macro-region.
The SAMU Network in Greater Florianópolis
The new base does not work alone. Besides the unit in São José, Greater Florianópolis has three other advanced support units, two in Florianópolis and one in Palhoça, along with an inter-hospital unit. Together, they form the network that covers the most critical cases in the region.
The reach of this network is broad. The SAMU in Greater Florianópolis serves 22 municipalities in the macro-region, which corresponds to an estimated population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. Properly distributing these units across the territory is what allows distances to be shortened and faster responses to those who call the emergency service.
Part of a Larger Expansion Plan
The inauguration in São José fits into a longer movement. According to the State Health Department, this is the 14th base inaugurated since 2023, as part of a series of investments aimed at strengthening mobile emergency care throughout the state.
The expansion also involves the fleet. The government reported that the Santa Catarina SAMU currently has 30 advanced support ambulances and seven vehicles for inter-hospital transport, with a forecast to end the year with 42 ambulances in operation. The fleet growth accompanies the opening of new bases to sustain the increase in capacity.
What Health Managers Say
The authorities responsible for the service emphasized the structural nature of the investments. The Deputy Secretary of State for Health, Cristina Pauluci, stated that the expansion includes uniforms and equipment, as well as team training, with the aim of providing staff with adequate conditions to serve the population well.
The Superintendent of Urgency and Emergency of the State Health Department, Marcos Antônio Fonseca, presented the financial overview of the set of actions. According to him, more than R$ 700 million has already been invested in renovations, expansions, and improvements in the Santa Catarina emergency service, of which the São José base is just the latest chapter.
Now we want to hear from you. Have you ever needed to call SAMU in Greater Florianópolis and noticed a difference in arrival time? Do you believe that opening new bases solves the problem, or is the bottleneck elsewhere in the health system? Leave your story in the comments, tell us about your experience, and share this article with those who also rely on emergency care in your city.
