Orlando Health more than doubles patient beds at future Lakeland Highlands Hospital
LAKELAND — Orlando Health has plans to significantly increase the size of its future Lakeland Highlands Hospital to keep pace with the region's fast-growing population.
Orlando Health announced Thursday that its new facility will have 302 inpatient bed, more than double the 136 beds originally proposed in November 2021. It plans to increase the size of the hospital's Emergency Department from 24 to 48 beds.
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“Following additional review, Orlando Health determined that it can best meet the healthcare needs of the Lakeland and greater Polk County communities by opening a hospital with more inpatient capacity than we originally announced,” said Jamal Hakim, chief operating officer of Orlando Health, in a press statement. “As one of the state’s fastest growing communities, Orlando Health recognizes that it needs to accelerate its delivery of high-quality, outcomes-based healthcare to these communities."
Polk is the fastest-growing county in Florida, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, and the seventh fastest growing county in the nation. From July 2020 to July 2021, the county population grew by more than 24,000 people to 753,320.
Orlando Health is constructing a seven-story facility on roughly 80 acres of undeveloped land in southeast Lakeland. The facility will be south of the Polk Parkway, immediately east of Lakeland Highlands Road.
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The hospital will have 16 patient rooms to serve as a women's birthing program and a designated space for a future neonatal intensive care unit. Orlando Health plans to offer medical imaging, labs, a pharmacy, dining and gift shop on the site.
“Our goal is to always provide convenient access to the healthcare services so greatly needed by the community, on a campus our patients and visitors can easily navigate and use," said Matt Taylor, Orlando Health's senior vice president of asset strategy, in a press statement
The not-for-profit healthcare provider previously received the city's approval to construct and operate facility with up to 360 beds.
The hospital is tentatively slated for a summer 2026 opening.
Once complete, the hospital lies within five miles of the 100-acre parcel purchased by Lakeland Regional Health off U.S. 98 and County Road 540A for its future expansion. LRH has not announced any specific plans for the land.
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Orlando Health more than doubles patient beds at future Lakeland site
