Latest news with #HCAFloridaPalms
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Palms West Hospital gets key go-ahead for $90M plan to expand campus near Royal Palm Beach
ROYAL PALM BEACH — Plans for an $90 million expansion at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital are moving forward. Palm Beach County commissioners on Feb. 27 approved a needed zoning change for Nashville-based HCA Health Care, the company that owns Palms West at Southern and Crestwood boulevards near Royal Palm Beach. Plans call for a 56,000-square foot, 42-bed post-surgical unit to provide customized care for patients who undergo robotic surgery. There will also be a new grand entrance, registration and admitting area, gift and coffee shop, a community education space, classrooms and cafeteria. Parking is expected to be reconfigured. Initially, the new part of the the hospital will be a one-story addition but Palms West is expected eventually to have a tower of up to five stories. The one-story building is being built to accommodate future growth. The investment will allow the hospital to specialize even further in the emerging technology of robotics surgery, which allows for smaller incisions and faster recoveries, said Jason Kimbrell, the CEO of Palms West. "We are pleased to obtain the county approval. It is now full speed ahead," Kimbrell said. "This is our next chapter. In the long term, we want patients to come from around the country and the world to undergo robotic-assisted surgery here." Palms West already is a leader in robotics surgery in South Florida. More than 1,200 of robotic-type procedures are performed every year. The hospital employs 22 robotics-assisted surgeons who operate Da Vinci machines, a robotics system with four interactive arms and a high-resolution 3D camera. The surgeons perform minimally invasive procedures involving less blood, less scaring and a reduced risk of infection. In calling for the zoning change, HCA said the expansion is needed to meet "an increasing need for hospital facilities and beds in the region due to new residential development," according to documents submitted to the county. More than 2,000 homes, HCA noted, have been built as part of the nearby Arden development and more residential projects are planned for the county's western suburbs/ Palms West has already experienced a significant increase in patient volume, according to the hospital. "Given these factors, expanding Palms West Hospital is not only justified but essential for maintaining a high standard of health care for the community," the hospital said. "The demand for health care services has significantly increased, driven by population growth and the aging demographic." Palms West currently has has 206 beds. The expansion will be constructed on 19 acres to the west of the existing main hospital building. HCA also says it expects spend an additional $90 million on other projects to improve and expand services offered at Palms West. They include: $10 million for a second cardiac catheterization lab to offer additional interventional cardiology capabilities and electrophysiology services. $10 million to expand the emergency department by 10 beds to help handle the 65,000 patients Palms West serves annually. $10 million to complete a new operating room to support minimally invasive interventions. $30 million to expand and improve a robotic surgical room. $30 million for a freestanding emergency room in West Palm Beach. $500,000 to build a medical office building dedicated to women's health on Vista Parkway in West Palm Beach. Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and issues impacting homeowner associations. You can reach him at mdiamond@ Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. In addition to the bed tower, HCA Healthcare will invest in several other projects at the hospital, including: $30 million for expanding operating rooms and adding more advanced robotic surgery capabilities. $10 million for a comprehensive stroke center. Expanding the emergency room to handle the 65,000 patients it serves annually, along with plans for two off-site free-standing emergency departments. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palms West Hospital's $90M expansion near Royal Palm gets key go-ahead
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A 67-year-old nurse was beaten at Palms West Hospital. Improve its security.
It was unexpected and unprovoked. Leelamma Lal, a 67 year-old nurse had been treating a patient who suddenly attacked her, fracturing every bone in her face and leaving Lal with the likelihood of blindness the rest of her life. This type of violence should not be happening in our hospitals. This type of violence should not be happening to our hospital nurses. Stephen Scantlebury, a patient who had been evaluated for mental-health issues under the state's Baker Act, jumped on top of Lal and hit her repeatedly before fleeing the hospital. He was arrested and charged with attempted murder and a hate crime after authorities learned he had made reference to Lal's gender, race and religion before the attack. And what did Lal do to deserve such a beating? Absolutely nothing. That's why her attack has alarmed healthcare workers throughout the county. They believe that hospitals should and can do more to boost security to protect hospital staff. So do we. Palms West in particular has recently been expanding its operations in western Palm Beach County. The hospital now boasts of an expanded maternity, children's medicine and emergency department. It's planning to build a new $80 million five-story facility for robotic-assisted surgery. Opinion: Florida's insurance crisis needs root-cause solutions, not high-risk quick fixes But the promise of a new and improved services won't matter much if staff and patients lack adequate safety, and don't feel secure. "No healthcare worker should have to experience such violence," Jason Kimbrell, the CEO of HCA Florida Palms West Hospital said last month to the hospital staff. The words should be welcomed and echoed by every healthcare facility administrator in Palm Beach County. (Even if they come on the heels of an attorney representing Lal's family claiming Palms West lacked appropriate safety measures on the day of the attack.) Opinion: Should Florida's State Parks be developed? Take our poll. Unfortunately, workplace violence has become a worrying trend in our nation's healthcare facilities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers are five times more likely than other employees to experience some form of workplace violence, including taunts, verbal abuse and physical assaults. Such violence undermines the quality of healthcare overall and potentially, can hurt the bottom line of hospitals and other facilities providing care. Lal's case is now in the courts. Scantlebury is facing criminal charges and Lal's family is weighing their legal options. Meanwehile, Kimbrell's words had better carry some real weight in the form of deliberate improvements to hospital security. Not just at Palms West, but all of our healthcare facilities. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palms West Hospital needs security after nurse's beating | Editorial
