Florida Hospital Breaks Ground on Patient Tower

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — To meet the increasing health care demands of the growing community, Florida Hospital Kissimmee (FHK) recently broke ground on a three-story patient tower. The 80-bed, 94,000-square-foot patient tower will double the size of the current hospital.

“We are pleased to be able to offer an expanded level of care to the Kissimmee and Osceola and south Orange County community,” said Jeff Villanueva, FHK administrator, in a statement. “The addition of the cardiology service line is especially important as heart disease is the number one cause of death in Osceola County. We believe increased access to cardiovascular services close to home will improve that statistic.”

The hospital has seen a 50 percent increase in patients in the past 10 years, according to Villanueva. In response to a need for more space and modern amenities, the $60 million project will construct large private patient rooms, a new kitchen, cafeteria and gift shop. The expansion will also have the ability to provide cardiac services with two cardiac catheterization labs capable of performing interventional cardiology procedures. The tower is scheduled for completion in 2015.

“Anything we can do to improve our residents’ access to health care today and in the future is important for the Kissimmee community,” said Mayor Jim Swan at the groundbreaking. “This new tower will make it possible for residents to stay closer to home to access the health care system.”

The construction of the new patient tower is part of the hospital’s larger master plan. In May, the hospital broke ground on an emergency department expansion project in order to accommodate the growing number of patients. In the past 10 years, annual visits to the emergency room have grown from 15,000 to 43,000 annually.
The project will more than triple the current 2,023-square-foot department to 22,560 square feet. The 35-bed emergency department is expected to open in the summer of 2014.

“This community has changed and expanded so much over 20 years,” said Dr. Dionisio Flores, FHK chief of staff. “Florida Hospital Kissimmee began with 40 beds and over time we’ve grown to 83 beds and now this new tower will nearly double the size of the hospital. We will be able to offer patients more comprehensive services and some additional amenities in a beautiful, modern environment.”