Jupiter Medical Center Improves Access for Treasure Coast
By Barbara Fallon
Healthcare practitioners are familiar with the term evidence-based care, a process used to review and analyze best practices and then incorporate the latest scientific evidence into clinical practice to provide ultimate quality patient care.
Steven Seeley, Senior VP and Chief Operating Officer at Jupiter Medical Center (JMC), explained that leaders have tweaked that concept and applied evidence-based planning to design and build appropriate facilities within the top-rated regional medical center’s service area offering a comprehensive continuum of inpatient and outpatient care.
“Based on the current population explosion and demographic evidence in Palm Beach County and along the Treasure Coast; and, in keeping with current and future trends in health care for high-tech medicine, shorter hospital stays, space for physician offices and close-to-home options for lower acuity care, JMC formulated plans to expand facilities which increase access to services and meet the community’s needs,” Seeley said.
Seeley, a registered nurse for 30+ years is responsible for oversight of day-to-day hospital and ambulatory services lines and major expansion projects including the following three underway.
Surgical Institute
In 2023, a 90,000-square-foot Surgical Institute, currently under construction, is scheduled to open on the Jupiter Medical Center campus.
Featuring 16 state-of-the-art operating suites and two hybrid operating suites to accommodate advanced surgical technology and expertise, the Surgical Institute is designed to accommodate the surgical needs of Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast residents and medical professionals for decades to come.
“This is in direct response to explosive population growth and trends in increased patient volumes advancing traditional and minimally invasive surgical procedures,” Seeley said, “as JMC tallies more than 8,400 procedures annually.”
While the institute will feature state-of-the-art trends in surgical care including new infection control processes and systems, and 3D-guided imagery for improved surgical precision, it also offers real-time live data feeds to support professional collaboration among surgical, medical and radiology experts along with enhanced communications with the patient’s family.
Neighborhood Hospital
Another project is an outcome of the 2022 unique clinical and educational alliance between Jupiter Medical Center and University of Florida Health (UF Health). The Neighborhood Hospital at the Health Park at Avenir, will include 24/7 emergency services, inpatient beds, operating rooms, and diagnostic lab and imaging services in a two story 53,000 sq. foot micro-hospital to provide access, close to home, to leading edge medicine. It will also include a separate building with medical office space for primary care and other specialty physicians needed in the area. It is targeted for 2024 completion.
The Avenir community will showcase 3,900 new homes, retail shops and restaurants with a diverse demographic complexion. Approximately 9,000 new residents will not skew as heavily toward the senior population and will require a full lifecycle range of specialty care.
Nationwide healthcare staffing has become a challenge in the post COVID environment. However, since joining JMC in 2011, Seeley has served in a number of executive leadership posts in patient care, including Chief Nursing Officer, and he uses that expertise to plan for staffing prospects. He holds a Master of Science in Nursing and is a Certified Executive in Nursing Practice, Certified Emergency Nurse, and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality.
“We have a unique staffing advantage with the proposed satellite hospital expansion because many of our current staff actually live in the neighborhood and have expressed interest in staffing this new venture. We are already looking into staffing ratios and opportunities which will benefit our staff, our neighborhoods and our health delivery system,” Seeley explained.
Patient Tower
As population swells in Palm Beach County and on the Treasure Coast, Jupiter Medical Center gauges capacity and service offerings to handle the higher acuity levels that can be anticipated. Simultaneously, JMC is planning a new patient tower with an additional 90+ beds and services and a parking pavilion on campus, targeting a 2025 completion.
Summary
Seeley explained that the JMC–UF Health alliance recognizes shared missions to provide access to leading-edge health care close to home.
“Since the UF Health scientific powerhouse of academic medicine is located within a few miles of our main campus, it was a natural plan to jointly operate a facility that combines the benefit of academic medicine with distinguished quality health care in the western Northlake corridor and Palm Beach Gardens community. This also puts us on a path to accelerate future opportunities to grow graduate medical education to populate primary care and other specialties as the medical staff ages out toward retirement,” he concluded.
About Jupiter Medical Center
Jupiter Medical Center offers state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technologies and award-winning physicians to provide a comprehensive continuum of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. Jupiter Medical Center’s specialty centers of excellence include orthopedics, comprehensive cancer care, cardiovascular care, neurosciences, and women and children’s services. For more information, call (561) 263-2200 or visit www.jupitermed.com.
About UF Health
UF Health is a world-class academic health center that combines leading-edge research, and health education and bio-medical sciences at campuses around Florida with outstanding clinical care at a network of hospitals around the state. The flagship is UF Health Shands Hospital, part of Florida’s preeminent health system, with 10 adult and pediatric specialties ranked among the nation’s elite in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals and Best Children’s Hospitals surveys. Visit www.UFHealth.org to learn more.
