NCH breaks ground on $130 million orthopedic center adjacent to North Hospital

A year after NCH announced a joint orthopedic surgery center with New York-based Hospital for Special Surgery, officials from both hospitals celebrated the start of the project Friday.

Construction of the $130 million center is expected to take two years with opening targeted for early 2025. The orthopedic center will be jointly owned by NCH and HSS.

The site is NCH North Hospital off Immokalee Road and the former Bear’s Den Childcare Center that was demolished.

“This groundbreaking marks an important milestone in our quest to bring world-class orthopedic care to our community as NCH continues its journey to become an advanced community healthcare system,” Paul Hiltz, president and chief executive officer of NCH, said in a news release.

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“We are thrilled to be collaborating with HSS, the world leader in orthopedics, to make this high level of care available to our patients,” he said.

Hiltz said last year when the project was announced that NCH, the largest hospital provider in Collier County, and HSS had been working toward the partnership for two years.

Orthopedic surgeons from the specialty hospital have been coming to Naples to share their practice protocols that will be adopted locally. A couple of key positions have been filled.

HSS' reputation

HSS has been ranked No. 1 for orthopedics for the past 14 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report.

Volume projections for the new center were not immediately available.

The three-story building will have roughly 80,000 square feet of building space with both inpatient and outpatient services.

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The outpatient surgery center will be on the first floor; rehabilitation services, pre-operative and post-operative on the second floor and imaging on the third floor, according to NCH.

There would be 15 private patient rooms that can be for overnight stays.

In addition to surgical care, the specialty hospital will bring its clinical trials, research and educational programs to Naples, according to NCH.

A board of directors will be established for the ambulatory surgery center with officials from both hospitals serving.

How will this help patients locally?

Emergency-based orthopedic services will remain available at the NCH Baker Hospital in downtown Naples, but all inpatient and outpatient orthopedic services will be housed at the new center for patient convenience, according to NCH.

The complex will serve as a destination for comprehensive outpatient and inpatient orthopedic care, along with imaging and rehabilitative services.

Surgical services will include joint replacement and other treatments for hips, knees, shoulders, for sports injuries and for other musculoskeletal needs.

Officials with both hospital systems appointed Dr. David L. Helfet as executive medical director of HSS at NCH.

Helfet said the new center will shape how orthopedic care is provided in the community for generations to come.

“We are building a world class team of doctors, surgeons, nurses and more, from around the world and within this community,” he said.

“Our growing team is already hard at work, transferring and implementing HSS knowledge, standards, and methods to achieve the world’s highest-quality clinical care and patient experience right here in Southwest Florida,” he said.

HSS performs more than 35,000 orthopedic surgical procedures annually and has been recognized as a top-ranked hospital for both orthopedics and rheumatology for 31 consecutive years, according to a news release.

The hospital maintains the lowest complication and readmission rates for orthopedics in the U.S., and is among the lowest for infection rates, according to a news release.

Dr. Bryan Kelly, president and chief executive officer of HSS, said both systems are patient focused, committed to quality and aligned on a shared goal of making orthopedic care more accessible to local residents.

“This is especially important to us at HSS, where we feel a great sense of responsibility not just to help more people, but to consistently achieve the highest quality outcomes for patients,” he said.

How much has been raised?

NCH has committed to raising $65 million toward the total $130 million cost. Just over $25 million has been raised to date.

When the project was announced last year, longtime Naples philanthropists Jay Baker, who serves on NCH’s board of trustees, and his wife, Patty Baker, committed $20 million as a challenge grant in the capital campaign.

“I am immensely proud to have helped bring HSS to our community,” Jay Baker sad in the news release. “The new HSS at NCH collaboration is a testament to our commitment to world-class healthcare, and we are honored to have contributed to this transformative endeavor.”

Is the zoning in place?

A change is required to the North Naples Medical Park planned unit development that encompasses nearly 19 acres next to North Naples hospital.

The change went before the Collier County Planning Commission in September and was recommended for approval. It is scheduled for approval Tuesday from the Collier County Commission.

NCH is seeking an increase from 150,000 square feet of allowed gross footage to 205,000 square feet of gross footage, along with some reductions in building setback regulations.

The 80,000-square foot contemporary complex will adhere to the current height of 50 feet.

There are no plans for a new parking garage; the existing parking garage and surfaced parking areas would accommodate the complex, according to the application.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: NCH breaks ground on $130 million orthopedic center in North Naples