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HCA Invests $42 Million in Health Care Growth
HCA Florida Capital Hospital NICU
Working Toward the Future
HCA Florida Capital Hospital makes good on its promised $42 million investment in care By Emma Witmer
The name HCA Florida Capital Hospital may be new to the Tallahassee community, but the hospital’s 43-year history of growth and stellar care is anything but. Previously known as Capital Regional Medical Center, HCA Florida Capital Hospital further solidified its long-standing affiliation with health care giant HCA Healthcare with a rebranding effort in the spring of 2022.
“This move really unites all of our sites of care across the state,” said HCA Florida Capital Hospital president Alan Keesee. “As an HCA affiliate, we are the largest provider of health care in the state of Florida with over 450 sites of care, 50 hospitals and 77,000 caregivers across the state. Our goal is to reassure the community that you are going to get that same excellent level of care here in Tallahassee.”
Unveiling this new name isn’t the only major development coming to HCA Florida Capital Hospital. In 2021, Keesee announced that the hospital would invest more than $42 million in capital projects in the years to come, many of which are already complete or well underway.
In May of 2022, HCA Florida Capital Hospital opened a 20-bed inpatient rehabilitation center where physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists work to get patients back to a sense of normalcy and independence after a traumatic injury or medical event such as a stroke, amputation or cardiac event.
“We were excited to bring online our new inpatient rehab this past May,” Keesee said. “We have treated over 90 patients so far with exceptionally positive reviews from patients. Inpatient rehab is really about getting folks out of the hospital and helping them get back to normal life through therapy.”
The facility is equipped with two large open-air gyms and an apartmentstyle setup where patients can relearn how to carry out everyday tasks like doing the dishes, bathing and getting in and out of bed. So far, this inpatient rehab center has brought 50 new jobs to the community.
Also in May, HCA Florida Capital Hospital introduced its first level-two neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
“While we never want a baby to have to go to the NICU, high-risk deliveries do happen,” Keesee said. “Until now, moms didn’t have a choice of care in Tallahassee when that happened. We have seven babies upstairs today. They are all doing well, our team is providing great care and the parents are able to stay here close to their loved ones in those precious first few days of life.”
This 10-bed unit is staffed by boardcertified neonatologists, board-certified pediatricians and registered nurses who specialize in sick and premature infants, as well as specially trained pharmacists, dietitians, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists on-site.
Adding to these recent additions to HCA Florida Capital Hospital’s care offerings, Keesee said that the hospital is in the process of developing a new, state-of-the-art women’s imaging center that will open its doors this winter. Meanwhile, the hospital will make significant expansions to its surgical suites and advancements in stroke care with new top-tier physicians and cutting-edge technology. By the end of 2022, Keesee said, HCA Florida Capital Hospital will complete two new surgical suites, bringing the hospital to a total of 12 surgery facilities.
“Tallahassee has wonderful medical facilities, whether it’s our hospital, physician practices, surgery centers, imaging centers, a great health plan or the great collaborative medical community as a whole,” Keesee said. “Tallahssee can be home and provide all of the health care needs for anyone moving to Tallahassee.”
In the midst of nationwide staffing shortages in the medical community, HCA Florida Capital Hospital has committed itself to the future by establishing two robust new residency programs. In 2022, the hospital saw the launch of Tallahassee’s first-ever psychiatric residency program, a move that Keesee hopes will help to address the community’s lack of mental health services long term. HCA Florida Capital Hospital will take on six psychiatry residents each year for the next four years with the opportunity to expand the program in its fifth year.
Alongside the hospital’s burgeoning psychiatric residency program is a newly minted dermatology residency program which will host two residents annually.
“By 2027, with the additional residency programs we will be bringing online, we will have over 100 residents here supporting the community,” Keesee said. “These folks move here, live here, bring their families, enjoy our restaurants, our clubs and our community. We hope that they will stay and provide care to our community for years to come.”
HCA Florida Capital Hospital Rehab Center
