Partly cloudy. Low 71F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy. Low 71F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally published in the Daily Sun on October 18, 2021.

Plans are moving forward quickly for the new hospital coming near the southern area of The Villages community.

Paperwork filed last week shows that bids have closed for the first phase of building at the new academic medical center going up in Lake County near The Villages' southern expansion.

The new hospital is part of a 241-acre Wellness Village planned for County Road 470 at the northwest corner of the interchange with Florida's Turnpike.

The 200-bed academic medical center will include 850,000 square feet of building space, according to a filing with the Florida Administrative Register.

The winning bid will go to a builder with hospital construction experience, including on projects "at least 80% of this size," according to the filing.

University of Florida Health Shands CEO Ed Jimenez said the fast-moving project is still in its "greenfield" phase as site plans continue to take shape. Design will accommodate the ability to handle future needs that will emerge years down the road as care standards evolve, he said.

"I've learned in health care that you have to be nimble," Jimenez said of providing quality care that raises standards over time.

It is the latest step in the process to bring the new hospital to the community, following an agreement between The Villages and UF Health in December 2020.

The $100 million-plus development is slated to break ground around the end of the year.

The training and education that comes with a teaching hospital will benefit local patients, said Heather Long, COO of UF Health Central Florida, which operates The Villages Hospital and Leesburg Hospital

"Having residents on site with the graduate medical education program connected with UF Health will really advance some of our services," she said. "Becoming a teaching hospital and bringing that expertise to the community will certainly be an acceleration of where we are today."

The hospital was originally planned for the Sumter County portion of The Villages. But it shifted across the county line when a new majority of commissioners Craig Estep, Oren Miller and Gary Serach lost it to an economic incentives package from Lake commissioners.

The development is expected to create hundreds of high-wage jobs in science, medicine and research.

The project is "monumental" for Lake County, Board of County Commissioners chairman Sean M. Parks said.

"The health and life sciences jobs that will be created at this mega-employment center will positively impact Lake Countians for generations to come," he said. "We look forward to progress in the coming months as more details are unveiled."

The Wellness Village is near other planned new areas that have been announced recently. Those include Eastport, with recreation amenities, shopping and dining, as well as Middleton, adjacent to The Villages with a new charter school campus, more shopping and dining, and homes for families.

UF Health operates UF Health The Villages Hospital and UF Health Leesburg Hospital.

UF Health Shands, the company's flagship facility, was ranked with Mayo Clinic Jacksonville as Florida's top hospital in 2020 by U.S. News & World Reports.

Emergency department care is also provided at the 16-bed UF Health The Villages Hospital Freestanding Emergency Room located off State Road 44 across from Brownwood.

While the new hospital takes shape in the south, UF Health is also making improvements to UF Health The Villages Hospital in the north.

Last week, plans were discussed for a new heart center all on one floor by early 2023, officials said.

"It's very important that we are able to consolidate our services in a way that makes sense for the patient," said Long.

Long spoke last week to UF Health The Villages Hospital Auxiliary Foundation, which will help raise funds for the new heart program.

"The new hospital doesn't stop us from continuing to improve within the four walls of The Villages Hospital," Long said. "We've got a lot of really good care here in The Villages, but my goal is to really elevate and accelerate what's here today -improving the patients' experience, improving quality outcomes, and making these hospitals the hospitals of choice for anyone in Lake and Sumter counties."

The Auxiliary Foundation's efforts to raise funds for the project got a boost when president Dick Campbell announced at the end of Thursday night's dinner that $75,000 has been made available by donors John and Beth Bondurant for the purpose of matching donations from first-time givers.

To get involved, call 352-751-8871.

Specialty Editor Bill Zimmerman can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5284, or bill.zimmerman@thevillagesmedia.com.

200: Beds planned for the new UF Health hospital

850,000: Square feet of building space on the campus

241: Acres for the Wellness Village in Lake County

Source: State and county filings

Partly cloudy. Low 71F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Partly cloudy. Low 71F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 87F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.

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