By Karen Brune Mathis, [email protected]
Two local hospitals are spending a combined total of $91 million on major expansion projects.
Construction has begun on a $65 million eight-story tower and other work at Baptist Medical Center South’s campus for initial completion in early 2018.
And St. Vincent’s HealthCare will debut new-concept health centers next year in Mandarin, North Jacksonville and St. Johns County, totaling an initial investment of almost $26 million.
Baptist’s South campus is in a high-growth area off Interstate 95 at the Old St. Augustine Road exit.
Ron Robinson, hospital president for Baptist Medical Center South, said the first four floors of the structure will be built-out and the remaining levels will be left empty for future expansion. Based on usage rates and population growth, Robinson said additional beds will be needed by 2018.
The new building, referred to as Tower C, will connect with the adjacent Tower D on the first three floors.
The 152,000-square-foot tower will initially include 42 hospital beds, which boosts the number of beds on the campus to 311.
When the rest of the tower is completed, it will increase the number of beds at Baptist South to 407. There is no timeframe for that. The floors can be built-out as needed, Robinson said.
The first floor of the new tower will accommodate administrative and support space, while the second floor will be a surgical expansion.
There will be 18 beds on the third floor for labor-delivery recovery postpartum and 24 on the fourth floor for medical-surgical.
A building-permit application shows Batson-Cook Co. will build the $5.6 million project for the core and shell, as well as an addition to the Central Energy Plant needed for the new tower.
St. Vincent’s centers will provide essential services, including urgent care, primary care, imaging, lab services and specialty care in one location.
Mandarin will be the first to open in the first quarter in a redeveloped former Walgreens store at 10503 San Jose Blvd., north of Interstate 295.
Realco Recycling Co. Inc. is preparing to demolish the interior of the 14,587-square-foot structure to create space for a new floor plan for St. Vincent’s.
The hospital said that leased location will be 20,000 square feet.
The St. Johns County center, along County Road 210 on land St. Vincent’s purchased west of I-95, should open in summer 2017.
The North Jacksonville center will open in late 2017, although the location and opening date have not been determined.
The centers’ developments are estimated at $8.5 million each.
St. Vincent’s said the initial locations were chosen based on an analysis of where services are most needed.