Updated: HCA East Florida Receives State Approval for a New Hospital to be Built on the Campus of Nova Southeastern University

First-Of-Its-Kind Hospital in Broward to Combine Research, Academics and Patient Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Updated May 18, 2016: Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration submitted its final approval for HCA East Florida to relocate Plantation General Hospital to Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Davie on May 17, 2016.

“This will propel us toward achieving NSU’s Vision 2020, providing the highest quality health care to our community, and open the doors for countless teaching and research opportunities,” said NSU President Dr. George Hanbury.

NSU and HCA East Florida will provide additional information on groundbreaking, construction and estimated completion of the hospital as it becomes available.

The original press release from April 5, 2016 is below:

Broward County, FL – A Florida administrative law judge issued a Recommended Order to the Agency for Health Care Administration (“AHCA”),  approving the issuance of a certificate of need (CON) for HCA East Florida to replace Plantation General Hospital with a new hospital on the campus of Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Davie, Florida.  Once a final order approving the project is issued by AHCA, HCA East Florida will construct a new state-of-the-art hospital focusing on technology and treatment and work with NSU to integrate research, clinical trials, and education.

Consistent with its other facilities, HCA East Florida will privately own the facility and no public funds will be utilized in the construction of the hospital.

“This is the first academic medical facility of its kind in Broward County. The new state-of-the-art hospital will fulfill our continued mission to provide high quality healthcare to the communities we serve,” said Michael Joseph, president of HCA East Florida. “HCA East Florida is proud of our award winning facilities and we look forward to working with NSU. The partnership will elevate the level of services we can provide by integrating a research and academic component into our scope of care to patients and provide much needed healthcare services to the town of Davie and beyond.”  

The first phase of this project was completed in 2015 when HCA East Florida built the first free-standing Emergency Room (ER) in Davie on the location of the now approved hospital. The hospital will be built around this existing ER.

“Relocating this community hospital to NSU’s campus will provide the basis for a state-of-the-art teaching and research hospital in central Broward County, with easy access and far-reaching benefits,” said NSU President Dr. George Hanbury. “Our faculty members and students are already making breakthroughs in cell therapy, pharmaceuticals, and the hi-tech/biotech areas. Bringing this health care hub to our campus will provide the resources that lead to clinical trials to benefit our community and all of humankind.”

In order to build the hospital, and in alignment with the CON, Plantation General Hospital (PGH), an HCA East Florida facility, will relocate 200 of its 264 licensed beds to the new hospital.  PGH will continue to operate and offer its full range of services until the relocation of the new facility is complete.

After completion of the new hospital, PGH will still maintain emergency services at the current hospital location.   HCA East Florida also has several other services in the Plantation area including a surgery center, physician practices and Westside Regional Medical Center which is approximately four miles away. This will ensure the surrounding community continues to receive high quality medical care.  

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HCA East Florida is the largest healthcare system in Eastern Florida and an affiliate of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Encompassing 14 hospitals, multiple ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, imaging centers and free standing emergency care facilities, as well as a supply chain center and an integrated regional lab. Together, HCA East Florida employs more than 15,000 employees and has nearly 5,000 physicians on staff. HCA East Florida hospitals include Aventura Hospital & Medical Center, JFK Medical Center, JFK Medical Center North, Kendal Regional Medical Center, Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, Northwest Medical Center, Palms West Medical Center, Plantation General Hospital, Raulerson Hospital, Sister Emmanuel Hospital, St. Lucie Medical Center, University Hospital & Medical Center, Westside Regional Medical Center.  For more information, please visit HCAEastFlorida.com.

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 26,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information about NSU and realizingpotential.nova.edu for more information on the largest fundraising campaign in NSU history.

Media Contacts:
Sara Callari | HCA East Florida
954-767-5703 | 954-249-7771
sara.callari@hcahealthcare.com

Julie Spechler, M.A. | NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5348 (office) | 954-591-3361 (cell)
julies@nova.edu

Jeremy Katzman, M.B.A., APR | NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-661-7000
j.katzman@nova.edu