Ramping up of four key areas among robust plans for the hospitals
More hospitals will close this year than open, said Mara Hammond, chief impact officer for NCH. The local system is healthy instead, Hammond said, and gave the press club an overview of what the NCH has been concentrating on and what’s on the horizon for the nonprofit.
Four key areas of growth and investment have occupied the system of late.
1. Heart and Stroke Institute
Three years ago, Hammond said, the average time between onset and treatment of an incident was 90 minutes, which was at the 10th percentile in the country. Today, that number is 30 minutes (and the national average is 60).
2. Orthopedics
Through a joint venture with the Hospital for Specialized Surgery based in New York, NCH is moving toward more and deeper specialization in orthopedic care.
3. Maternity
70 percent of the moms giving birth at NCH are on Medicaid, which is a sustainability challenge. While plenty of maternity centers are closing down, this isn’t the case for NCH, according to Hammond.
4. Cancer Care
With one in three cancer patients leaving Southwest Florida for care, NCH is bringing in experts – 40-plus specialists in this and other fields that were underrepresented before.
Hammond outlined other ongoing and recent developments at NCH – which, incidentally, underwent new branding last year to become Naples Comprehensive Health from the former Naples Community Hospital.
Its board is locally governed, which means the people making decisions come from and are familiar with community needs.
Physicians are incorporated into day-to-day decision making because all of the chief medical and surgical officers are practicing physicians who see patients every day.
The fact that the system holds an independent and nonprofit status allows it to be more flexible in its partnerships, Hammond said.
In addition, strides in research and education have been made. Three years ago, there was no clinical research being done at NCH; today there are 50 ongoing clinical trials.
Its 80 residents and fellows represent a commitment to education and excellence as well.
While the north hospital has focused on pediatrics and orthopedics, the downtown Baker hospital continues to be a high acuity center. In fact, it’s the fifth comprehensive stroke center in the state and where the simulation and education programs are housed.
Over the next three to five years, “We’ll see close to five, six facilities opening here in Southwest Florida,” Hammond said, with the $700 million needed all contributed by the philanthropic community. (See capital breakdown after this story.)
Also contributed very recently was a $3.5 million gift from Jeff and Judy Henley to cover all the costs associated with the development, architectural design, engineering and construction plans for a 250-unit multi-family development, to be available for rent by employees of NCH. This will be on land formerly occupied by the Naples Daily News and purchased by NCH. Over 30 percent of its workforce traveling over an hour to come to work is more evidence of the already recognized need for affordable housing in the Naples area.
Questions from the audience centered around the difficulty of finding primary care that is not concierge-based. Hammond stressed that NCH hopes its residency program with 80 primary care physicians will be a boost to that deficit with plenty of the doctors staying in the area once their training is done.
Northwestern University is also bringing down primary care physicians and leasing space from NCH.
How will it fund the workforce housing project? “NCH does not want to be a landlord and does not want to be a developer,” Hammond said, so the project will likely be placed in its own LLC and public funds will be sought, she said.
Although there are not current plans for more than 250 units, the site could house as many as 500 in the future, Hammond said.
How the $700 Million Capital Investment Breaks Down into New Facilities:
- Orthopedics, opening May 2025 at a cost of $120 million
- Ave Maria, opening May 2025 at a cost of $10 million
- Marco Island, opening October 2025, at a cost of $20 million
- Heart, Vascular & Stroke, opening summer 2027, at a cost of $300 million
- Multiple projects are underway for cancer care this year at $20 million, and $230 million is in the planning phase for care for women and children