Lee Health has taken another step with plans for a new hospital in Fort Myers to open in 2028.
A key component is a musculoskeletal institute connected to the hospital on Challenger Boulevard that could become a destination center attracting patients from outside the region.
A hotel could be built on the hospital campus at a future date. Challenger Boulevard is southeast of Colonial Boulevard and west of Winkler Avenue, with the hospital at 4453 Challenger Blvd.
More: Lee Health set to go private after board vote; one hurdle left
The board for the public hospital system in Lee County on Thursday approved a price tag of no more than $434 million for the entire project but a final cost will be brought back to the board in January.
The plan is for 168 beds in the hospital and that will be finalized in January.
The new campus will replace the aging 414-bed Lee Memorial Hospital at 2776 Cleveland Ave. which is slated to remain operational through 2027.
Lee Health currently operates four general acute care hospitals with a combined 1,877 beds, 134-bed children’s hospital and dozens of outpatient care centers.
The new hospital plan has been on the drawing board for several years, in part to compete with the for-profit HCA Healthcare which plans to build a 100-bed hospital at 3851 Colonial Blvd.
Officials at HCA could not be reached for comment on the status of its project.
Another Lee Health goal is to convert from a public hospital system to a private, nonprofit entity so it can compete better in today’s health care environment dominated by for-profit hospitals and private equity investors.
Lee Health has a $3 billion operating budget and provided $179 million in community benefits last year which included charity care after forgone taxes of $94 million.
The 10-member board voted earlier this month to go forward with conversion and needs approval of the Lee County Commission, which is expected Monday.
What stands out about the project?
Lee Health officials involved in designing the new hospital have incorporated features of what’s new in information technology and in musculoskeletal services for patient care.
They are adopting elements of both after visits to Emery University Hospital in Atlanta, Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, Advent Health in Orlando and a new spine institute at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.
What will make the musculoskeletal institute stand out is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach toward muscle, tendon, joint care, said Duke Walker, vice president of operations for musculoskeletal medicine. That will include specialists in many fields and the complex will have an onsite rehabilitation center.
The institute in the medical office building will be connected to the main hospital through a second floor bridge.
What are some of the details?
The new Fort Myers Hospital will be 416,000 square feet and the plan is for 168 beds with a final number presented to the board in January, said Dave Kistel, vice president and chief facilities executive.
Lee Memorial has 1,600 employees, and it’s not clear how many will transfer to the new campus or to other locations.
The new hospital is planned to have 10 operating rooms and 44 beds in the emergency department, a pharmacy, laboratory and other support services.
The medical center will be 125,000 square feet with outpatient surgery with eight operating rooms, a rehabilitation gym, and clinics specializing in orthopedics, spine, rheumatology, complex care and infectious diseases.
A parking garage will be added to the campus down the road, Kistel said.
The site offers a lot growth potential, Kistel said. As more build out happens, the surface parking at the new hospital will be used later for a parking garage, he said.
Nearly $32 million was released for site work that is underway.
“The benefit of what we’re doing now with the site is we’re creating the flexibility in the future to grow quickly,” he said. “We’re putting the infrastructure in. We’re putting the roads in, the water, the mitigation, that’s all done.”
Kistel said the project has gone through permitting smoothly and plans are being reviewed by the city and the state of Florida for final permitting. A traffic light is planned for at the intersection of Challenger and Colonial.
Board member Dr. Stephen Brown said he liked the idea of the multi-disciplinary approach for the musculoskeletal institute. He asked if it could become a destination center for people coming from outside the region.
He was told that could happen. The overall planned development approved by Fort Myers does allow for a hotel, Kistel said.
The new campus will be 23 feet above ground level and built to withstand hurricane winds of 174 mph, he said.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Plan includes musculoskeletal center on Fort Myers campus