Lakeland’s first new hospital in more than 100 years has opened its doors to start treating Polk County patients.
The Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highland Hospital officially opened its doors July 8 at 9 a.m. It’s located at 4000 Lakeland Highlands Road.
“This is an exciting day in Polk County,” Carlos Carrasco, president of Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital, said in a statement. “Our experienced and dedicated physicians and staff are ready and looking forward to serving this community. Today represents the launch of something new, a truly unique collaboration between Watson Clinic and Orlando Health, focused on improving the health and quality of life of the greater Polk County region.”
The hospital is licensed for approximately 300 beds, according to Matt Woodrow, the chief administrative officer of Orlando Health’s Mid-Florida Region. Its emergency department is accessible via a helipad, ambulance bay and the front walk-up access through the main entrance of the hospital.
The emergency department has 49 patient bays to start, Woodrow said, with the ability to expand to 90 bays. The area is divided into three sections based on triage level, or the assessment of the level of care the individual needs.
Eleven operating rooms are expected to be available upon the hospital’s grand opening, Woodrow said. Two of the operating rooms will be more specialized, requiring further construction, increasing the number to 13 operating rooms by the year’s end.
The hospital has two heart catheterization labs and highly specialized 3-T Magnetic Resonance Imagining machines to allow higher powered resolutions while performing cardiac testing and procedures.
The hospital will officially open a 12-bed, Level II neonatal-intensive-care-unit to offer intensive treatment for babies later this year.
It’s been approximately six years of work to get to the opening, as Orlando Health purchased the 80-acre site from Edward Holloway and the Holloway family in 2020. Construction has created more than 700 jobs, with about 1,500 permanent jobs created by the hospital.
Out of the new jobs, there are 600 nurses and 75 physicians new to Polk, as new hires for Watson Clinic, Orlando Health and Emergency Physicians of Central Florida.
The new hospital has become the sixth-largest employer in Lakeland, according to Lakeland Economic Development Council. It is the 15th largest employer in Polk County, according to the Central Florida Development Council.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Orlando Health, Watson Clinic open new Lakeland Highlands Hospital
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
