The new South Florida Baptist Hospital (SFBH) opened at 3202 N. Park Road on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 3 a.m. At the same time, the 70-year-old hospital on N. Alexander Street in Plant City permanently closed.
Closing down one hospital and opening another takes an enormous amount of logistical planning. SFBH prepared for nearly two years for the patient move, including a trial run. The patient move began at 5:00 a.m. Seventeen ambulances transported 67 patients to the new facility, and completed the transport at 9:10 a.m.
“It is an exciting day for us,” Karen Kerr, president of the hospita, saidl. “The patient move went very well—planning does pay off, and it went very smoothly. We collaborated with a lot of our public agencies. But in particular, I wanted to commend and thank Captain Ward, and the Plant City Police Department, for the great job they did in facilitating the move from one place to the other.”
Fast Facts:
•The last baby born at the old hospital arrived at 9:44 p.m. on Friday, August 9.
•The first baby born at the new hospital arrived on Sunday, August 11 at 9:22 a.m.
•The last patients at the old hospital were a mother and baby who were transported to the new hospital.
•The first patient at the new hospital was received in the emergency room at 3:47 a.m. on Saturday, August 10.
•There were a total of 86 emergency room visits on opening day.
•Surgeons performed three operations on opening day—one orthopedic, and two urological.
•Four interventional cardiology cases—including three cardiac catheterizations—were performed on Saturday.
“This is a phenomenal time in Plant City,” Plant City Mayor, Nate Kilton, said. “We are busting at the seams with excitement too. It has been a long time in the making. BayCare will be a beacon of health and wellness in our community for what is going to be another 70 years, or more, to come.”