BayCare Plans New Hospital in Manatee County

CLEARWATER, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BayCare Health System is planning to open Manatee County's first hospital north of the Manatee River by the end of 2025 to support expanding health care needs of the rapidly growing community.

Located at the northeast corner of Moccasin Wallow Road and Interstate 75, the hospital will provide northern Manatee County residents easy access to convenient, high-quality health care, including quicker, closer access to potentially life-saving emergency care.

BayCare, which currently operates 15 hospitals in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, is working on obtaining necessary zoning approvals as it finalizes construction details.

"As with all our hospitals and services, our mission in Manatee County is to improve the health of all we serve," said BayCare President and CEO Tommy Inzina.  "That means when we build this hospital, we will extend to Manatee residents our longstanding tradition of Community Benefit."

The not-for-profit health care system is nationally recognized in the top 20 percent of U.S. health care systems based on clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and efficiency metrics. It has been repeatedly recognized as a top employer in the Tampa Bay area. BayCare also returns to the community roughly 10 percent of its revenue each year in the form of direct charity care, patient financial assistance and direct community programming.

BayCare already serves Manatee County with its home health service, BayCare HomeCare, which provides effective and affordable service for people recovering from an illness, injury, or surgery and those who need help managing a chronic health condition.  In-home care like skilled nursing, physical therapy and medical social services are designed to help people maintain independence and stay out of the hospital.

In addition, BayCare Medical Group, which is one of the Tampa Bay area's largest multi-specialty groups with more than 600 providers, will open an Adult Primary Care practice in The Shoppes of Moccasin Wallow (96th St East, Palmetto) by the end of this year.

BayCare's integrated network of services and its hundreds of locations across West Central Florida also include labs, imaging, ambulatory surgery centers and urgent care centers. It is the largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services in the region and offers a robust telehealth service and employer solutions.

"At BayCare, we put tremendous resources into keeping people well and out of hospitals," Inzina said.  "While hospitals are a critical part of a community's infrastructure, BayCare strives to provide the right care at the right time for patients. Our extraordinary team members connect with people wherever we can support their health care journey."

BayCare is currently building a new hospital in Wesley Chapel and a replacement hospital for South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City. Both facilities are right sized for the current population with infrastructure that offers room for future growth. BayCare is taking a similar approach in Manatee County, where the building permit application requests up to 207 private patient rooms, but the initial construction likely will have a smaller bed count.

The Manatee County hospital will be BayCare's 17th acute care hospital.  At this time, the exact hospital size, construction costs, employment opportunities and timelines are still undetermined as BayCare works to maximize the site's potential.

To learn more about BayCare and its impact on those it serves, visit: 2021 Report to the Community. 

BayCare was formed in 1997 by a core group of local hospitals determined to continue providing not-for-profit health care to the Tampa Bay community with a unified mission: To provide high-quality, compassionate care to all we serve. Today, BayCare is recognized by FORTUNE/MERATIVE (formally IBM Watson Health) as being in the top 20 percent of large U.S. health care systems. Besides its 15 hospitals in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties, it includes an integrated system of ambulatory and physician services. The system's 16th hospital, BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, is expected to open in 2023 in east Pasco County.

BayCare is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgery centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. 

BayCare is now one of the largest employers in the bay area, with 27,739 team members, with substantial economic impact. BayCare is also repeatedly recognized as a high-quality employer and has Great Place to Work® Certification™. 

The BayCare Medicare Advantage insurance plan, BayCarePlus®, is among the region's few 5-star-rated plans. 

For more insight into BayCare's commitment to high-quality care and its community, read our 2021 Report to the Community.

CONTACT:Liza (Patterson) Razler, [email protected]

SOURCE BayCare Health System