- November 15, 2024
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Ken Mattison and JoAnne King. Photos by Jeff Dawsey
The new hall will be constructed over the emergency department.
The original design was planned with a potential addition, making it easier for the 32-bed addition.
A mock room that shows the amount of space and what the rooms will look like.
Pull quote: “Overall, we look at it as an investment into the community’s healthcare,” King added. “We are investing $15 million into more beds that we can care for more of our neighbors.”
JoAnne King, Florida Hospital Flagler VP/Chief Operating Officer
Flagler Hospital Flagler is set to expand its facility by 18,500 square feet with the addition of 32 new beds.
“The need is here in the community, and we want to meet that,” said JoAnne King, Florida Hospital Flagler VP/Chief Operating Officer. “As the population has grown in Flagler County, the use of the hospital has increased. Florida Hospital Flagler’s average daily census has increased more than 25 percent from 2010 to 2014.”
The hospital is currently operating with 99 licensed beds and 16 already-built observation beds, which it plans to license, so, with the addition of the 32, the hospital will expand to a total of 147 total licensed beds.
“Meeting the needs of the people that God has called us to serve is what we’re about,” Mattison said. “How do we do that best? It has become evident to us that more beds are needed to be able to meet the community needs. I’m real clear that I don’t want to build more than what is needed, but I also don’t want to be under-resourced, so that that we can’t meet needs, so a lot of study went into how many beds are we actually going to need.”
The extra wing will be built over the hospital’s emergency department on the second and third floors.
The beds will be designed as Progressive Care Unit rooms. In a PCU, patients are less critical than Intensive Care Unit patients, but they require more care than provided on the regular nursing floors.
While construction has yet to take place the design phase is well underway. Builders just completed a mock up room that gives the hospital an idea look of how big the rooms will be and what they will look like.
“Construction will start in the spring of next year, and we expect to have it finished before the end of next year,” said Ken Mattiso, CEO of the hospital. “So, when we get to our busy season, we will have those additional 32 beds.”
The project will cost $15 million, which, according to Mattison is a great benefit, when compared to the average cost of building new hospital beds.
“Typically, hospital construction is about $1 million per bed,” Mattison said. “We’re taking advantage of the design, where a lot of that infrastructure does not have to be built.”
When the hospital was initially built in 2002, the facility was designed with the possibilities of expansion in the future. This expansion project utilizes those plans for cost-savings.
“Overall, we look at it as an investment into the community’s healthcare,” King added. “We are investing $15 million into more beds that we can care for more of our neighbors.”
