Lake City Medical Center Breaks Ground On $88 Mil Expansion. Columbia County & Surrounding Counties Will See Increased Services
November 30, 2022 07:00 am
Photo: HCA | Columbia County Observer
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By
Lindsey Covington
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Lake City Medical Center, an affiliate of HCA Florida Healthcare, announced today an $88 million investment to construct a new two-story patient tower to meet the growing healthcare needs of the community. The expansion also includes increasing surgical services, expanding the cath lab, and creating additional beds in the ICU and medical/surgical units.
The 58,543 square feet tower addition will double the footprint of surgical services from 11,995 square feet to 21,815 square feet. An enhanced waiting area and recovery room for surgical services is included to ensure patients have privacy and enhanced comfort during their recovery. As part of the investment, new state-of-the-art equipment for procedures will also be available.
LCMC CEO Jill Adams | HCA photo
Along with surgical services, the cath lab is increasing in size. Upon completion, additional pre-procedure and post-procedure spaces will be available to improve procedure turnaround times for patients.
“The two-story tower is designed and equipped to foster additional floors and broaden our services,” said Sam Boadi, Chief Operating Officer of HCA Florida Lake City Hospital. “This project builds the foundation for additional expansion opportunities in the future to ensure our hospital continues to grow with the community.”
As part of the expansion, 28 new beds are included for the ICU and med/surg unit, with the potential for 12 future patient rooms. The tower project also includes transitioning the current laboratory space to the new tower and increasing imaging support space within the main hospital. The site plans also include adding 116 additional parking spaces to accommodate the increased patient and visitor traffic.
This latest expansion project is one of many recent investments within the hospital to increase patient care experience and provide quality care to the community. Currently, HCA is investing $36 million into the LCMC Emergency Department, adding 18 new patient beds, which is slated to be completed by mid-2023.
Since 2020, HCA has made the following investments totaling $141 million:
• Upgraded surgical robotic technology
•Inpatient expansion added 12 beds in 2021 and 10 beds in 2022
• Inpatient MRI and CT upgrade in 2022
• Emergency department expansion adding 18 new beds in 2023
• Tower expansion project to increase surgical services, expand the cath lab, and the addition of 28 patient beds
LCMC CEO Jill Adams said LCMC has been a staple in the community for the past 60 years.
“The construction of our new patient tower will be a defining moment as our hospital continues to invest in the community and grow to ensure our residents and visitors can easily access high-quality healthcare closer to home.”
Lindsey Covington is the Director of Communications and Community Engagement of HCA’s LCMC. She was formerly the Communications and Outreach Manager for the SRWMD. Ms. Covington has a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Mass Communication/Media Studies from Murray State University and is a graduate of UF.
