Construction of new Golisano Children’s Hospital making progress

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- WINK News crews got a tour of the new, soon-to-be Golisano Children’s Hospital at Healthpark Medical Center.

The $200 million project is starting to take shape as construction crews keep working towards the expected completion date in 2017.

The children’s hospital will have 128 beds, 30 more than it has right now. It will also have its own pediatric emergency room, separate from the current ER.

The new hospital is expected to create around 50 full-time support staff jobs and around 100 clinical jobs.

“It’s really been a long time coming, we have seen an increase back from the days of the construction boom. There was a huge increase in population, when we moved children here 20 years ago from the facility downtown, it seemed like we had plenty of beds. But then the construction boom, young families, we built eight new schools in one year, and all of sudden when those kids are sick, we need a place to care for them,” said Kathy Bridge- Liles.

WINK News got an exclusive tour of what’s being called an “enabling project” happening  because of the children’s hospital construction. The newest project being built on the renovation side will be a cardiac-catherization arm of the hospital.