South Florida Baptist Hospital started construction this week on an addition to its surgical center.
The hospital broke ground March 4 to expand its operating rooms.
“With the increasing number of surgeries and the increased case complexity, we needed additional, larger operating rooms,” said South Florida Baptist Hospital President Karen Kerr. “We continue to provide services here, such as robotic, neurospine, general and orthopedic surgery, so that Plant City residents don’t have to leave town for these specialties.”
The 6,300-square-foot addition will be built on the corner of Alexander and Reynolds streets next to the Heart and Vascular Center. It will replace an existing parking lot. The addition will consist of two operating rooms, bringing the total number of operating rooms to seven. The addition also will include an expansion of recovery rooms and waiting rooms and a storage area. The $5.8 million construction project will occur in three phases. It should take about one year to complete.
Kerr was announced as president of South Florida Baptist Hospital last month, after serving for five months as interim president. In her new role, she said the surgical center is one of her main focuses. The addition will assist with orthopedics and robotics.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.