- June 27, 2024
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As Florida Hospital Flagler celebrates its 10th year of business in the county, it celebrates a marked impact within the community.
From an employee count of 313 at the hospital's opening to its current 933 employees, from its addition of two operating rooms in 2006 to its incorporation of robotics into surgery in 2011 and its opening of Medical Parkway building this year — among other things — the hospital has become an economic force in the community.
“The economic engine that the hospital is in this county is huge,” said Doug Baxter, president of the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates. “They’re the largest private employer in the county, and they’ve spent multimillions of dollars in the last 10 years to drive our economy.”
The hospital’s goal is to stand with its community: to provide jobs to its community members, to serve those who live nearby and to expand with the county itself, said David Ottati, CEO of Florida Hospital Flagler.
“We’re going to continue pushing and striving to grow with our community,” Ottati said. “We’re going to continue striving and pushing as hard as we can.”
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners declared Sept. 23 as Florida Hospital Flagler Day in the county in recognition of the hospital’s landmark anniversary. To celebrate, the hospital is hosting a Family Fun & Safety Day 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, at its main facility.
The hospital, like other businesses, has had to adapt to a sluggish economy and cut costs to stay afloat. Singular to the hospital’s business model is that it serves even those who lack health insurance and cannot pay for their health care, Ottati said.
“There’s some major changes coming in the health care field, which include some reduction in reimbursement for Medicare and changes to Medicaid,” he said. “Because of our unemployment rate in this community, we’re seeing more people coming into the facility without being able to pay.”
Ottati said the hospital is reducing its costs by shrinking its utility bills, increasing the efficiency of its administration and reducing duplicate medical procedures, among other things. He doesn’t anticipate cuts to personnel.
Despite these complications, Ottati’s outlook for the hospital is bright, and he hopes the hospital's expansion will coincide with Flagler County’s expansion.
“Of our employees, about 75% of them live in Flagler County,” Ottati said. “The goal is for them to use Flagler County resources, restaurants and services, to make an even bigger economic impact.”
And at the chamber, Baxter sees this impact clearly.
“We have the only visitor center in Flagler County at the chamber,” he said. “Most of the people who come through our doors want to know about two things: shopping and medical care. We’ve gone through thousands of medical guides; they’re a hot item on our shelves. We are rated very highly as a national health care facility.”
Baxter said people who investigate retiring to Flagler County are drawn to the community because it has a new, updated medical facility nearby. Those moving to Florida do not wish to travel far for medical care. The hospital could likely be the difference between people moving here or not, he said.
“And,” Baxter said, “when we’re trying to entice a business to come into the community, they also want to know that we have good medical services here, because they’re going to bring their employees and their families here.
“Jobs aren’t the only way the hospital is a huge economic driver here,” Baxter said.
As the hospital moves forward, Ottati said he anticipates similar growth.
“Our goal is to add services into this community that the community needs,” Ottati said. “As the community stands, let’s stand with it — that’s our goal.”
