The Health Care District of Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners, Glades General Hospital Board of Directors and Glades Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors recently dedicated the 50 acres of land on which a new regional hospital campus is being built to serve all the Western Palm Beach County communities. The hospital will feature all private patient rooms and a design that is sensitive to the patient experience and patient privacy.
(l-r) David M. Zechman, Chief Executive Officer of Glades General Hospital; Dr. Ana M. Viamonte Ros, Florida Surgeon General and Secretary of the Florida Department of Health; C. David Goodlett, Chair, Glades Healthcare Foundation Board; Dwight D. Chenette, Chief Executive Officer, Health Care District of Palm Beach County; and Dr. Jean Malecki, Health Care District of Palm Beach County Board.
Since 2004, the Health Care District has made multi-million dollar investments in Glades General Hospital. Staff and technological resources will be transitioned to the new hospital when it opens in early 2010. The new regional hospital, which has not been formally named, will occupy approximately 142,000 square feet and offer 70 private inpatient rooms with capacity to expand. The property is zoned for an additional 115,000 square feet for future facilities supporting the medical needs of the community. Once built, the new hospital will feature larger operating rooms, a greater complement of Emergency Room treatment areas and more pediatric rooms. The facility will also include six private ICU rooms and two additional delivery and post-partum rooms.
Rendering of the new regional hospital to serve the Western Palm Beach County Communities bordering Lake Okeechobee.
Community education rooms will be available in the new hospital for organizations and educational gatherings as well as health and lifestyle classes. The building design features separate Emergency Room and main entrance drop-offs as well as separate patient and public elevators, which, combined with single-patient rooms and more consultation offices, will enhance patient privacy.
The regional medical campus will include a large trauma helipad to enable the efficient transfer of a patient to a local trauma center or another specialized center. The helipad also will be utilized for evacuating injured patients during an emergency or natural disaster in the region.
