 |
 |
 |
 |
Week of March 28, 2002 |
 |
Calendar of Events |
|
FYI Miami |
|
Filming in Miami |
 |
|
|
Front Page |
|
About Miami Today |
|
Put Your Message in Miami Today |
|
Contact Miami Today |
|
Job Opportunities |
|
Research Our Files |
|
The Online Archive |
|
Order Reprints |
| Aventura Hospital to spend $130 million on expansion By Sherri C. RantaNashville-based HCA Healthcare Co. will pump $130 million into a renovation, replacement and expansion project at Aventura Hospital & Medical Center during the next two years. Growth in the hospital's market share - from 16% in 1994 to 26% in 2001 - fueled growth plans, said Davide M. Carbone, the center's CEO. "A lot of our hospital growth is not driven by population growth, which is growing slowly and steadily, but by the fact that our market share has grown," he said. Population growth in the hospital's service areas in southeast Broward County and northeast Miami-Dade grew 9% from 1990 to 2000, he said, and is projected to grow 4% from 2000-05. The 407-bed hospital at 20900 Biscayne Blvd. serves the communities of Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Park, Hollywood, Golden Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and North Miami Beach. "Our master plan for growth currently represents the largest health-care construction project in the state," Mr. Carbone said. HCA and hospital officials spent three years, he said, developing a plan to expand, renovate and replace most of the hospital over the next two years. Construction is planned in five phases with completion by May 2004. Phase One, a $10 million, six-story, 274,000-square-foot garage, opened in November 2001. Projects in the remaining phases include a nine-story tower with 245 new private patient rooms, a 26-bed emergency room, two intensive care units with 77 beds, 10 oversized operating rooms and a new day surgery center. Plans also call for a new main entrance and lobby, refurbishment of the exteriors to match new construction, improved access and driveways, an external power plant and added support space. Funding for the renovation, Mr. Carbone said, will come from HCA, an international health care company operating 185 hospitals and surgery centers in the US, London and Geneva. Corporate spokesman Jeff Prescott said HCA provides a pool of money each year for the capital needs of its facilities. The pool is $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion this year, he said, up from $1.2 billion a few years ago. "Our capital programs have increased primarily because we've seen admissions go up," he said. "There is a need for it." Aventura Hospital, Mr. Prescott said, is one of the larger HCA projects. Mr. Carbone said the hospital is coordinating construction for as little disruption to services as possible. The construction, he said, will also provide private rooms in both ICU and emergency rooms - which will double in size - as well as state of the art technology. The hospital will keep the older building for clinical space and the remaining beds. Hospital officials are awaiting approval from the state to provide open-heart surgeries, Mr. Carbone said. "The facility is being built to accommodate open-heart surgery. It would be very easy to implement." The hospital's service area, he said, has a higher concentration of patients over age 65. "We see the second largest number of non-surgical cardiology patients in Miami-Dade County," Mr. Carbone said. Hospital officials are already looking to future growth on the 19-acre hospital campus, he said. The new nine-story tower, once completed, would be capable of supporting three more floors. Officials are already planning for a second garage and possibly an office building. Aventura Hospital opened in 1965 as Golden Isles Hospital in Hallandale Beach. The hospital moved to its current site in 1974 and changed its name to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in 1993. The 407-bed facility provides inpatient and outpatient diagnostic, medical, surgical and cancer services, including emergency, rehabilitative, obstetrical and behavioral health services and international patient coordinators. The hospital has 750 medical professionals, 1,200 employees and 230 volunteers. Details: (305) 682-7000 or aventurahospital.com. |
Top