Lee Health has taken another step with plans to open a new hospital in Fort Myers 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 in the future. Challenger Boulevard is southeast of Colonial Boulevard and west of Winkler Avenue, with the hospital at 4453 Challenger Blvd.
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The Lee County Public Hospital System board approved a price tag of no more than $434 million for the entire project Thursday, but final costs will be presented 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. replaced, which is expected to remain operational until 2027.
Lee Health currently operates four general acute care hospitals with a total of 1,877 beds, a 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 profitable 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 the project.
Another goal of Lee Health is to transition from a public hospital system to a private nonprofit so it can better compete in today's healthcare environment dominated by for-profit hospitals and private equity investors.
Lee Health has an operating budget of $3 billion and provided $179 million in community benefits last year, including charity care after lost taxes of $94 million.
The 10-member board voted earlier this month to move forward with the conversion and requires approval from the Lee County Commission, which is expected Monday.
What stands out about the project?
Lee Health officials involved in the design of the new hospital incorporated features of what is new in information technology and musculoskeletal systems for patient care.
They adopt 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 multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to muscle, tendon and joint care, said Duke Walker, vice president of operations for musculoskeletal medicine. This includes specialists in many areas and the complex will have an on-site rehabilitation center.
The institute in the medical office building will be connected to the main hospital via a bridge on the second floor.
What are some details?
The new Fort Myers Hospital will be 416,000 square feet and the plan is for 168 beds, with the final number to be presented to the board in January, said Dave Kistel, vice president and chief facilities executive.
Lee Memorial has 1,600 employees, and it is not clear how many will transfer to the new campus or other locations.
The new hospital is expected to have ten operating rooms and 44 emergency department beds, a pharmacy, a laboratory and other support services.
The medical center will span 125,000 square feet and include outpatient surgery with eight operating rooms, a rehabilitation area and clinics specializing in orthopedics, spine, rheumatology, complex care and infectious diseases.
There will be a parking garage further down the campus, according to Kistel.
The site offers a lot of growth potential, according to Kistel. As more construction is done, the parking lot at the new hospital will later be used for a parking garage, he said.
Nearly $32 million was released for on-site work.
“The benefit of what we're doing now with the site is that we're creating the flexibility to grow quickly in the future,” he said. “We are installing the infrastructure. We're putting in the roads, the water, the mitigation, that's all done.”
Kistel said the permitting process for the project has gone smoothly and plans are being reviewed by the city and state of Florida for final permitting. A traffic light is planned at the intersection of Challenger and Colonial.
Board member Dr. Stephen Brown said he liked the idea of the multidisciplinary approach for the musculoskeletal institute. He asks if it could become a destination center for people coming from outside the region.
He was told this could happen. Fort Myers' approved general planned development makes room for a hotel, Kistel said.
The new campus will be 23 feet above ground level and built to withstand hurricane winds of 175 miles per hour, he said.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Plan includes musculoskeletal center on Fort Myers campus
