FORT MYERS, Fla. — A goal to provide better healthcare to under-served communities in Lee County is coming to fruition.
“We are very excited to announce the beginning of a process to build a new hospital in the city of Fort Myers," said Dr. Larry Antonucci, President & CEO for Lee Health.
The latest project from Lee Health will sit on 52 acres of land along Challenger Boulevard between Colonial Boulevard and Winkler Avenue.
Lee Health says the new hospital will have, 216 beds, 16 operating rooms, 30 emergency rooms, and a 16-bed observation unit where patients can wait to be admitted or discharged from the hospital.
The five-year project puts a big focus on availability for patients, something many hospitals struggled with because of overcrowding to due COVID.
“What we do, is we do analysis that is pretty detailed not only demographic but we look at practice patterns and hospital use patterns so we have projected out that bed need should be met should be adequate for us as we get out into the future,” said Dr. Antonucci.
The other big piece is location.
Lee Health says their new hospital in Fort Myers will not only be centrally located but also give areas outside the city better access to healthcare.
“We have a commitment to the under-served communities. So we want to make sure that there is adequate access for them in addition to expanding the potential to bring in patients from the East Fort Myers and even Lehigh Acres and make that more convenient for them also,” said Dr. Antonucci.
On Friday, Lee Health said the permitting process is expected to take two years to complete with plans to open its doors in 2027.
