By LINDA CHION KENNEY
AdventHealth officials have announced plans to increase the number of patient beds at the newly opened Riverview hospital, thanks to the breakneck growth that led to the hospital’s construction in the first place.
The roughly 272,000- square-foot campus, nestled between Riverview and Gibsonton drives, at 9320 U.S. 301 South, opened with 82 patient beds in October, with shell space to expand more quickly. The officials who made that initial pronouncement have issued now another, that their foresight to prepare in advance for ongoing growth has been well-warranted, given that the eight-month-old hospital more often than not is at full capacity.
AdventHealth Riverview hospital, at 9302 South U.S. 301
At a Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce meeting May 27, AdventHealth officials discussed next steps for the hospital off one of the most heavily traveled and congested roadways in Hillsborough County. The initial step involves plans to raise the bed count to at least 120, and eventually to 170, under phase two and three plans for shell space that requires no heavy construction.
“We’re not the catalyst for the road congestion,” said AdventHealth Riverview CEO Jason Newmyer, in an interview after the luncheon meeting. “The homes being built around us are the catalyst. We’re trying to be a solution to having more convenient health care nearby, rather than having to drive through those challenging roadways, byways and thoroughfares” to health care farther away.
AdventHealth officials announced in March 2021 plans to break ground on the $216 million, four-story, full-service Riverview hospital, built to provide emergency, cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedic and urology services, as well as obstetrics and gynecology services, including labor and delivery. A unique feature of the hospital is a full-service rooftop helipad, which is a big plus for big issues in a traffic-riddled community.
“In moments of intense traffic, the [AdventHealth Air Star 1] helicopter helps to move critically ill patients for time-sensitive reasons from one hospital to another,” Newmyer said.
As for the bed expansion, “we can move from what we have today, 82 beds, to about 170 beds without bringing cranes back on the property or having significant construction,” Newmyer said. He noted that roughly 40 percent of the hospital’s current square footage had been built as shell, absent furnishings and equipment, given the area’s expected growth and demand for future beds.
Underway now is a study to add two units, for roughly 120 beds, which is considered the second phase of construction, Newmyer said. He added that this would allow the additional beds to open in 2027.
Looking ahead, the third phase would add a third unit, amounting to some 170 beds, Newmyer said. To increase the overall square footage of the hospital, that would involve “infill work between our two tours, and that is a phase four or phase five activity,” he added.
Linda Chion Kenney photos
AdventHealth representatives at the May 27 chamber luncheon, from left, Patty Montgomery, Danae White, Jason Newmyer, Jana Bearry, Rainer Chan, Kara Brush and Shane Cimock.
Also full on a regular basis is the AdventHealth Riverview emergency room, which Dr. Rainer Chan, in an interview after the May 27 luncheon, said is “unfortunately a common community emergency care problem.” To counter, AdventHealth Riverview staff members “have been able to identify pathways and strategies to create efficiencies,” Dr. Chan added, noting that the aim “is to care for people who don’t need a bed in a time sensitive way, to get them back home, and to open that space for someone else.”
Hospital growth is reflected as well in the number of people on the job. AdventHealth payroll employees, which had been expected to number 300 team members, stands at around 600, Newmyer said. Moreover, the count for medical staff, including credentialed physicians and radiologists, has grown from 200 to roughly 750, many of whom “support us in a telemedicine capacity, which is a huge blessing,” Newmyer said.
“By sharing resources over a number of hospitals, and not just isolated at one, you don’t have the issue of the high demand that’s needed to have that specialist on site,” Newmyer added. “It allows us to partner, to share information, and to really put ourselves in a space where we can give best practice medicine without driving up the cost of health care.”