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HCA Healthcare Inc. and the University of Central Florida’s $175 million joint teaching hospital in southeast Orlando is set to be a major Medical City player when it opens in fall 2020.
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA (NYSE: HCA) and the college are building the 204,079-square-foot, 64-bed UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, which has the potential to create more than 300 jobs when fully completed.
The hospital also will generate more medical residencies and research, drawing innovation to the region that can lead to major medical discoveries.
“HCA has a network of care that is extraordinary, and we have research and educational programs that are extraordinary,” UCF College of Medicine Dean Dr. Deborah German told Orlando Business Journal. “We bring together the best of both worlds.”
It’s also a big deal for Central Florida’s health care industry, since the Sunshine State is forecast to have a shortage of 7,000 physician specialists by 2025, according to the Teaching Hospital Council of Florida and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida. That will lead the school, in partnership with HCA, to add 200 medical residencies to UCF’s current 365 slots, German said. Residencies provide training to new medical professionals who often end up staying in the area.
Additionally, HCA’s North Florida division— which includes Orlando — expects to graduate about 150 annual medical residents during the next five years, adding to the area’s pool of prospective doctors.
For the full story, visit the Orlando Business Journal online.