Services to be consolidated from Gulf Coast Medical Center to HealthPark Medical Center
Lee Health is announcing an expansion of obstetrical services and new and renovated OB rooms at HealthPark Medical Center. The health system will now feature 107 OB beds, and all of the newly renovated rooms at HPMC will be fully private with family sleep capabilities. This transition will create 10 additional beds across the health system and as of March 1, 2019, the obstetrical service line currently offered at Gulf Coast Medical Center will be transferred to HealthPark.
“We are excited to expand our OB services to expecting mothers and their families. With renovated rooms and close proximity to Golisano Children’s Hospital, OB patients will receive the highest level health care and in a comfortable environment for moms and their families. This has been part of our long-term plan since opening Golisano’s new building last year, and we look forward to continuing to meet our region’s health care needs,” said Scott Kashman, Chief Acute Care Officer.
Expansion of the HealthPark Medical Center Obstetrics Unit is underway in space vacated last year by pediatric services now at home in the new Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Currently, HealthPark Medical Center has 42 licensed OB beds, and Gulf Coast Medical Center has 32 licensed OB beds. Ten additional OB beds will be added during the construction phase of the project, bringing the total number of OB beds at HealthPark Medical Center to 84.
In addition to adding more beds, this move helps meet several other goals of Lee Health’s OB service line. The OB Emergency Department and OB triage located in HealthPark’s emergency department is scheduled to be expanded from three to seven beds, and the renovated delivery rooms are located near the unit’s operating suites should they be needed. With the unit’s adjacent location to Golisano Children’s Hospital, there is easy access to the area’s only Level II and Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for high-risk pregnancies. HealthPark also offers 24/7 OB hospitalist coverage.
Over the past few years, the number of births at Gulf Coast Medical Center has been decreasing, while the number at HealthPark Medical Center has been increasing. In fiscal year 2015, HealthPark Medical Center had 3,135 births while Gulf Coast Medical Center had 1, 721 births. Last fiscal year (2018), HealthPark Medical Center recorded 3,421 births, while Gulf Coast Medical Center dropped to 1,335.
