Moving to Orangetree area in Collier? Patient center coming next year

One of Collier County’s top growth regions, Orangetree in northern Golden Gate Estates, will have medical care in the neighborhood.

Healthcare Network has purchased 1.7 acres from Barron Collier Companies at the Winchester project that is underway at Orangetree Boulevard and Immokalee Road.

The nonprofit Healthcare Network, which operates a dozen patient care centers in Collier for adults and children, will build a 20,000-square-foot medical center on the parcel.

Growth projections estimate 60,000 residents will be living in the region off Immokalee Road from Collier Boulevard east toward Ave Maria and the area lacks accessible health care services, said Jamie Ulmer, president and chief executive officer of the network.

The Healthcare Network’s medical center will have a full gamut of services for all ages, including obstetrics/gynecology, dental and behavioral counseling and a drive-thru pharmacy.

Patient volume projections are roughly 30,000 patient visits, both adults and children, the year after opening, planned for December 2024.

More: Collier leaders find grant money to keep outreach workers in Immokalee

“We expect to receive 20,000 pediatric visits the first year,” Ulmer said.

The total project cost is $15 million with $1.75 million coming from the state budget through an appropriation spearheaded by state Senate president Kathleen Passidomo and state Rep. Lauren Melo, R-Naples, Ulmer said.

He met with the two elected officials to pitch for state support and told them there were no medical providers heading toward Ave Maria beyond the NCH Healthcare System’s freestanding emergency room complex at Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard.

“They were stunned,” he said.

NCH last fall submitted some application documents to the county for building a two-story medical office complex at Winchester but "has no confirmed plans at this time for what may eventually be at the Winchester project," NCH spokesman Shawn McConnell said.

What is Winchester development?

Barron Collier in March announced a joint venture with Metro Commercial Development Group for the Winchester on 21 acres at Immokalee Road and Orangetree Boulevard.

The Winchester is part of an alliance between Barron Collier and Metro Commercial to develop from ground up and for redevelopment projects.

The Winchester will include a quick-serve restaurant, storage and other retailers.

A first project between Barron Collier and Metro Commercial is the 50-acre Founders Square at the southeast corner of Immokalee and Collier Boulevard with 40,000-square feet of space that is 100% leased with several retailers and restaurants.

“Partnering together on these projects has proven successful and we look forward to working together on more commercial and mixed-use development in Southwest Florida and beyond,” Dan Hughes, chairman and principal for Metro Commercial Development, said in a news release.

What about the medical center project?

The land for the Healthcare Network project cost $3.5 million and the building itself will be about $10 million, Ulmer said.

The intent is to do a capital fundraising campaign and pursue grants for the rest of the cost after the $1.75 million from the state, he said. The current zoning allows for medical uses.

“I expect to break ground no later than November this year,” he said.

Healthcare Network, headquartered in Immokalee and the main medical provider in Immokalee, operates more than a dozen medical, dental and behavioral health centers in greater Naples with a focus on serving underprivileged populations on Medicaid, people who are uninsured or insured.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Healthcare Network plans patient center in Orangetree to end void