eHealthWatch Breaking News

Viera Hospital will serve as the centerpiece for Viera Health Park – a 50-acre integrated healthcare campus - designed to offer residents a continuum of wellness, preventive and medical care. Viera Health Park will become the first, one-stop medical wellness "health park" of its kind in Brevard County. Upon completion in 2011, Viera Hospital will be a 100-bed, acute-care, not-for-profit hospital that offers residents in the Viera/Suntree vicinity a comprehensive range of healthcare services.

"It has been challenging, but you will find it worth it.”

– Chris Kennedy, Viera Hospital President

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (Oct. 29, 2009) – To the delight of residents, county officials and the local medical community, Space Coast’s economic outlook received a major boost this week, when administrators from Health First announced the Viera Health Park will create over 700 new jobs and generate an estimated $70 million annually to Brevard’s economy.

Viera Hopstial President Chris Kennedy, left; Brian Bussen, Vice Chairman, Viera Hospital Board of Directors, center; and Health First CEO Mike Means.

The impressive figures came from a study by The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. The announcement was delivered to local representatives and administrators from the at the “Topping Off” ceremony, just outside of the hospital.

As a symbolic gesture, attendees were invited to sign tiles that were placed at the peak of the hospital, as construction crews completed the highest point of the building. Chris Kennedy, the CEO and President of Viera Health Park, spoke about the bright future for the medical community.

“This will be the place that people who live in Viera and Suntree will call their hospital," said Kennedy.

"There’s a tremendous amount of excitement, not just about the project, but about what it will mean to the medical community. As you know, it’s been a tough period economically, but our organization has provided a platform for 700 jobs, $70 million in economic impact, and over $200 million in construction dollars.”

Hospital To Open In January, 2011

Residents of the Suntree–Viera community are eagerly awaiting the hospital’s opening, which is slated for January of 2011. The first phase of Viera Medical Park, the Pro-Health and Fitness Center, opened last year and the second phase, the Medical Plaza at Viera Park, will open in 2010.

Viera Hospital President Chris Kennedy

Kennedy likened the hospital’s progress to watching his daughter in-law’s experience during her first pregnancy.

“Being a proud new grandfather and looking at my daughter in law and  thinking, nine months takes forever, I need to tell you, birthing a hospital almost five years from the time we started, with its needs, has been challenging, but you will find it worth it.”

Health First CEO Mike Means reflected on the first days of planning and the progress since Viera expanded to the dynamic and thriving community in central Brevard.

“Today is very fulfilling because our board recognized the need for this facility as Viera began to devlop 10-15 years ago. The need is even greater now than we thought it would be. We’re going to see this facility with a focus on cancer care and orthopedics, but it’s also a full service institution, with all private rooms. This will help us decompress the Holmes Regional campus,which is our most crowded facility. ”

Mary Bolin

Brevard County District 4 Mary Bolin, who represents Viera and Suntree, was one of the most excited members in attendance.

“It’s a grand day,” Bolin said. “I am so proud we’re at this stage now where we’ll have 750 jobs. We’re going to be able to provide another service to District 4, with healthcare. It’s everything we want to do to keep our quality of life strong.

This is visually, one way of seeing this is going to keep our quality of life extremely strong in our community. Everyone is going to benefit from this. Nothing is better than visual. When you can actually go up to the building and say ‘it is real, it is happening’ that is a big step for us.”

Deborah Angerami, Health First’s Administrative Director of Viera Health Park, is actively working with the HR department to develop a top-notch staff for patient needs.

“We’re looking for people who are engaged, competent and passionate about providing a medical staff of the highest caliber,” Angerami said. “We received over 12,000 letters of support from residents and they all expressed a need for this hospital.”

HEALTH FIRST broke ground in May 2009 (click on video above) and placed a cornerstone for the Health First Viera Hospital. The 100-bed facility  is the centerpiece of Health First’s Viera Health Park being developed west of Interstate 95 in Viera. The 250,000-square-foot hospital will include 86 all-private inpatient rooms, 14 observation beds, full medical and surgical capabilities, a 24-hour Emergency Department, outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, a state-of-the art Cardiac Catheterization Lab and other healthcare services.  In addition, the hospital will feature the latest technology and a paper-less environment with all-electronic medical records.

CLICK HERE FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR OF VIERA HOSPITAL

CLICK HERE FOR A TIME LAPSE HISTORY

HEALTH FIRST VIERA HOSPITAL BY THE NUMBERS

Hospital Specs:

• 100-bed, acute care not-for-profit hospital
• Part of the 50-acre campus known as Viera Health Park.
• Expected to support 417 direct jobs, 122 indirect and 208 induced, for a total of 747.

Construction output:

• Direct: $121 million.
• Indirect: $27,129,350.
• Induced: $42,915,335.

• Total: $191,044,685

Construction Income

• Direct: $57,570,168.
• Indirect: $10,942,672.
• Induced: $14,626.

• Total: $83,139,404.

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