Current Project
Two and one half years ago, February 14, 2004, we celebrated your heartfelt giving efforts in a ground breaking ceremony for the new Heart Institute to be built.
Today, the Florida Hospital Heart Institute is open and “Comprehensive Heart Closer to Home” has become a reality. Since January 10, 2006, the date our first heart surgery, we have performed over 1000 patients Heart Catheterizations to diagnose heart vessel deteriorations and heart vessel (coronary artery) repairs. Over 100 patients underwent Coronary Artery By-pass Grafts – “Open Heart Surgery”. Through your generosity lives are being saved right here in our community.
As I look at our community and the people we serve, it warms my heart to see so many of you stepping up and supporting us in this major endeavor. To date we have raised $2.1 million of the $3 million goal. Your ongoing support is needed as we continue to work towards the final goal. The remaining $1 million dollar goal will help complete the Early Diagnosis Center of our Heart Institute, Specifically supporting the purchase of a Cardiac CT Scanner and a Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab.
For more information on the Heart Institute and our quest to bring this much needed service to our community, please see our related article – FHZ Case Statement.
Please see our “Giving opportunities” link to find out how you can be a part of this program.
The Need for the Open Heart Program: The purpose of adding Open Heart Services will be to close the loop of available cardiac care and to provide our community with a full line of cardiac services. In our community and the surrounding areas, lifestyle related diseases such as heart and related diseases are the major health problem and leading cause of death. In this area the frequency of heart disease occurring are significantly higher than other areas of the country. The mortality rate for members of our community and the surrounding areas is significantly higher for heart disease than for Americans as a whole.
In order for our community to receive Open Heart Surgery and its related procedures in the past, they had to travel distances that were unrealistic and in some cases had the potential of producing poorer outcomes. There is already a strong cardiology and interventional cardiology presence on the FHZ medical staff. Over 90 patients per year will present at FHZ as candidates for interventional cardiac services but will not be able to receive the care that they critically need because up until now Florida Hospital Zephyrhills did not provide that service. It is projected that within three years of instituting an Open Heart Program, over 300 procedures will be performed annually. In addition, over 500 angioplasty procedures will be performed. These numbers meet the state requirement for quality as well as for the institution an Open Heart Program.
Project Benefits: Florida Hospital Zephyrhill’s Open Heart Surgery Program will benefit all levels of our community, from rich to poor, educated to uneducated, insured to non-insured. Those that will be benefited the most are those emergency cases that involve heart related disorders. These individuals will now be able to be taken care of at home, under the direction of our excellent cardiology staff, instead of needing to be transferred to other institutions without the potential of multiple risks. No longer will the hardship of travel and financial burdens that go along with it be placed on our patients. Another benefit of the Open Heart Project is that is will allow our cardiology staff to expand their services and expertise benefiting the health of our community.
The project cost of the proposed Open Heart Program is tagged at 11.6 million dollars. The capitol campaign that is being waged by Florida Hospital Zephyrhills is specifically designed to gather financial support for open-heart services. With this in mind, there are three major changes that will occur to the facility congruent to the open-heart expansion. These include, expansion of the emergency center, centralizing surgical services, and renovation and construction of Women’s Services and Pediatrics. Since the Open Heart Program will be housed in a new wing on the east side of the hospital, these services need to expand in order to accommodate the new heart program. While the fundraising campaign to gather support for the Open Heart Program is specific to that program, opportunity is given to those who desire to support the total building project expected to be 22 million dollars.
Project Description
The Open Heart Project is part of a larger construction and renovation project planned by FHZ to consolidate and upgrade it facilities. Relevant components of the overall plan, which are not included in the proposed project include:
• Replacement of the current Emergency Room (ER) with a new, larger ER that will have spaces for fast-track care of chest pain patients and large treatment rooms for acute myocardial infarction patients.
• Consolidation and expansion of surgical and the central sterile department, including the construction of a new inpatient and ambulatory surgical suites and support spaces on the second floor of the hospital.
• The replacement of the current heart catheterization Lab and the addition of a second one.
• Relocation of Women’s Services and Pediatrics to pave the way for space for open-heart procedures.
As part of the proposed Open Heart Project, FHZ will:
• Increase the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds from 14-22 beds with the construction of the 8-bed ICU on the second floor and increase the number of progressive care unit (PCU) beds from 16-32 with construction of a 16-bed PCU on the third floor.
• Construct two 900-square foot cardiovascular operating suites and related support space on the second floor.
• Add a second cardiac catheterization laboratory in 1,049 square feet of space on the second floor.
There is a clear indication that the services that would be directly impacted by open-heart services will aid in making the open-heart program viable and state of the art as medical services are concerned. As stated, these complimentary services include, Surgical Services, Emergency Services and Women’s Services.
Community Support for Open Heart Services
• Over 4,500 community members signed a petition to AHCA (Agency for Health Care Administration) the State Agency that approves Open Heart Programs in support of an Open Heart Program at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.
• Letters of support were written on behalf of the Open Heart Program by all seven of the existing Cardiologists on the FHZ Medical Staff.
• Local community members who had recently received Open Heart Procedures at other hospitals due to the fact that it was not available at FHZ wrote a number of personal letters of support.
• Several letters of support from local and state politicians on behalf of FHZ’s effort to acquire Open Heart Surgery were also received and attached to the Certificate of Need for Open Heart Surgery to the State of Florida.
Florida Hospital Zephyrhills could not have obtained approval for open-heart services had the community not been fully behind the effort. As stated above, local community signed almost 5,000 petitions. The impact of these petitions on state officials was critical as to the outcome of the decision to approve the Certificate of Need Application for Open Heart Surgery. There were also numerous letters of support for open-heart surgery from cardiac patients, local businesses, community and political leaders.