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Hospital plans $10-million expansion
By LISA GREENE, Times Staff Writer
CLEARWATER -- Just a few years ago, treating patients after a stroke often meant keeping them comfortable. Now, it often means helping them back on their feet. "Many times, it was a matter of making sure people could use their wheelchairs," said A. Candace Tillquist. "Now they're learning to walk again." Such rehabilitation efforts are part of the reason Morton Plant Hospital is building a new $10-million Orthopaedic and Neurosciences Pavilion. Tillquist is director of orthopedic and neuroscience services for the hospital, which divulged its plans Tuesday. The building will provide a home for outpatient treatment of several neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's, stroke treatment, and movement and balance disorders. It also will provide more centralized treatment for orthopedics, such as replacing hips and knees, arthroscopic surgery and sports medicine rehabilitation. The pavilion's design will provide more complete care under one roof, Tillquist said. For example, a center for Parkinson's patients will allow them to see a neurosurgeon but also an occupational therapist and a physical therapist. Some doctors already on staff will move their offices to the new building. Other new doctors are expected to join the hospital soon, said spokeswoman Beth Hardy. The expansion is a natural move for Morton Plant, said Hal Ziecheck, the hospital's chief operating officer. "Look at the demographics and the aging of our population," he said. "And the baby boomers are all coming on board soon" with more frequent athletic injuries as "weekend warriors" get older. The hospital performs more hip and knee replacements than most hospitals in the country, Ziecheck said. The building also will include a center for magnetic resonance imaging, the hospital audiology program and possibly a center for sleep disorders. Rehabilitation services will be moved there from the hospital's Barrett Center. The hospital hopes to raise about half the construction cost from private donations. An anonymous donor has given close to $1-million, Ziecheck said. The building will be 94,000 square feet and four stories tall, on the hospital's campus at the southwest corner of Jeffords Street and Fort Harrison Avenue. Site preparation has already started. Construction is scheduled to be finished by May 2004. The building is designed by The Ritchie Organization of Sarasota; the developer is the Graham Group Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa; and the site preparation contractor is Brassfield and Gorrie of Safety Harbor.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
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