Care In all the right places
As seen in Orlando Family Magazine:
Ever since HCA Healthcare’s facilities in Florida united under the HCA Florida Healthcare brand, the number of new and expanded locations has continued to grow to help provide an optimal quality of life to each resident of the Sunshine State. HCA Florida Healthcare includes over 650 affiliated hospitals, physician practices, freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers, with more on the way. Most recently, HCA Florida Healthcare opened two new facilities in Central Florida: innovative, full-service, free-standing 24/7 emergency rooms.
“In the Greater Orlando area, we have five full-service hospitals and 14 freestanding emergency rooms including the recently opened HCA Florida West Volusia Emergency and HCA Florida West Orange Emergency, providing a full range of healthcare services,” said John Gerhold, chief executive officer of HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital. “HCA Florida Healthcare offers patients access to highly trained specialists, including the state’s most comprehensive cardiovascular network, largest trauma care network, advanced cancer care, comprehensive stroke centers, labor and delivery and neonatal intensive care, neurology, orthopedics and many other areas of expertise.”
A major part of HCA Florida Healthcare’s successful dissemination of care is its focus on compassionate and accessible treatment facilities. The system implements a careful assessment of the communities who need support the most, recognizing the need for quick and quality care in an emergency. The newly opened HCA Florida West Orange Emergency includes 10 emergency exam rooms, CT scan, digital X-ray, ultrasound, and on-site laboratory services for patients of all ages.
“Additional access points for patients needing emergency care literally saves lives, and that is our focus in our growth in freestanding emergency rooms across Central Florida,” said David Shimp, chief executive officer of HCA Florida Osceola Hospital. “Patients visiting HCA Florida West Orange Emergency and all of our freestanding emergency rooms can expect the same level of care as a hospital-based emergency department. As part of a leading healthcare network across the state, our freestanding emergency rooms offer patients requiring in-patient treatment access to hospitals, physician practices and specialty care throughout Florida to create a connected and collaborative healthcare experience for patients and their families.”
As a vital partner in the community, HCA Florida Healthcare is committed to giving back. Understanding that emergencies cannot be foreseen and care can be expensive, HCA Florida Healthcare helps patients receive treatment regardless of their ability to pay, and approximately $1.07 billion in charity and uncompensated care in Florida has been provided. In 2024 alone, HCA Florida Healthcare donated $3.7 million to community organizations, including nonprofits like the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Locally, the healthcare system has partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida since 2021, with approximately $70,000, 5000 pounds of food and 800 volunteer hours contributed.
HCA Florida Healthcare’s pervasive influence can be attributed to its state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and providers. The hospitals incorporate robotic-assisted surgery to provide better outcomes and minimized complications, and HCA Healthcare has utilized this revolutionary technology more than one million times across the country. As a leader in the field, the system has developed an extensive database of robotics for surgery.
Another developing innovation is the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, which was recently shared with local high school students at UCF Lake Nona Hospital as they learned about medical innovations underway at HCA Healthcare’s first Innovation Hub.
“Our team is boldly embracing our role as an Innovation Hub to develop, test and scale digital solutions to transform healthcare,” says Wendy Brandon, chief executive officer of UCF Lake Nona Hospital. “We are creating tools that improve care for patients and make the work easier for our caregivers.”
With the latest technology and research, HCA Florida Healthcare imparts vital education, resources and support to patients, providers and prospective healthcare professionals. In addition to collaborating with experts from across the nation and around the globe, HCA Florida Healthcare hospitals are always both learning and teaching.
HCA Florida Healthcare reaches out to middle and high schools to inspire students who are interested in careers in the field while also training the next generation of doctors in its facilities. Nearly 100 new doctors began residencies or fellowships this summer at HCA Florida Healthcare facilities in greater Orlando through the University of Central Florida – HCA Florida Healthcare Graduate Medical Education Consortium.
Despite multiple successful launches of new facilities this year, HCA Florida Healthcare has many more plans on the horizon. HCA Florida Auburndale Emergency in Winter Haven and HCA Florida Wekiva Emergency in Apopka are expected to open in the next several months.
In leading the state as well as the nation, HCA Healthcare serves over 43 million patients each year in its unfaltering mission to provide the highest quality of care. Here in Central Florida, whether you need an annual checkup, lifesaving trauma care, comprehensive treatment for serious illness, or any other condition that impacts your quality of life, there is an HCA Florida Healthcare team nearby to help you have a healthier tomorrow.