Tampa Bay's hospitals invest millions in new construction projects
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 5, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic challenged the finances of Tampa Bay's major health systems — but those organizations are still investing in new facilities and major renovations.

Hospitals throughout the Tampa Bay region have recently kicked off major construction projects. New facilities and upgrades of current facilities are especially important as the region experiences an influx of new residents and health systems fight to expand their market share and convert residents with commercial health insurance into loyal customers.

Here's a roundup of major projects, from those that have recently opened to those that are in the planning stages.

100-bed expansion, Tampa General Hospital

Tampa General Hospital recently announced a $550 million master plan that will be executed in the coming years. Among the projects is a 100-bed addition to the Bayshore Pavilion at the hospital's Davis Islands campus — a vertical expansion that will also add 12 new operating rooms. The hospital recently filed plans with the city to move forward with the expansion.

“It is critical that we continue to bring the most advanced technology and cutting-edge care to our patients in Florida and beyond," John Couris, CEO of Tampa General, said in a statement. "This is the largest master facility plan expansion in our hospital’s history, and it is an investment in our patients, in our academic health system, and in our community.”

South Florida Baptist Hospital, BayCare

BayCare Health System is relocating its hospital in Plant City and recently broke ground on a $326 million new hospital four miles from the original location.

"Our new hospital will feature 146 private rooms with the ability to expand," hospital president Karen Kerr said in a statement. "The new building will have 26 ICU beds and a 30-bed emergency department. We're also adding four interventional/cardiac [catheter] suites and an eight-bed surgery center. It gives us room to add medical office space for outpatient lab services, physician offices, rehab and wound care services, among others."

Taneja Center for Surgery, AdventHealth

The West Florida division of AdventHealth recently took the wraps off its $300 million Taneja Center for Surgery at its AdventHealth Tampa hospital. The new center is a six-story, 300,000-square-foot patient and surgical tower with 18 new operating rooms and 96 private post-surgical and critical care patient rooms.

“This is more than a new building at AdventHealth Tampa, the Taneja Center for Surgery is a beacon of medical innovation that brings the best doctors and technology together in one place to provide reimagined care for our community,” Denyse Bales-Chubb, President and CEO at AdventHealth Tampa, said in a statement. “We’re not just expanding our footprint in Tampa Bay’s Uptown District; we’re expanding the opportunities for life-changing medically complex care for everyone right here at home.”