Executives at North Florida Regional Medical Center approved a $58 million expansion plan this week.
The hospital will expand its Heart and Vascular Center and develop a neonatal intensive care unit inside a four-story patient tower that will be built in front of the main hospital building.
This new expansion plan will bring the total cost of recent improvements to the hospital to $120 million over five years. The current phase of construction, which will be completed by September 2011, involves expanding the ICU floor and constructing a 562-space parking garage.
Once the $58 million expansion is completed, there will be 445 beds available for patients at the hospital. The facility currently holds 325 beds.
“This will give us more beds, more state-of-the-art equipment, and better cardiovascular and neuroscience services,” said medical director Scott Medley.
The level-II neonatal ICU will service ill or premature infants. Infants who need extensive neonatal care, such as ventilators, will be sent to the level-III neonatal unit at Shands. The expansion plans include 20 additional postpartum beds.
“Our number of deliveries increases every year, and we expect the number to continue to rise,” Medley said.
Officials plan to complete the future construction by September 2013.
