NCH Baker Growing With the Community

In keeping with the focus of always putting patient care first, the first phase of the NCH Baker Hospital Emergency Department renovation is nearing completion. Phase I is scheduled to be complete in January 2021 while ensuring uninterrupted emergency services remain available for our community.

NCH Baker Hospital Emergency Department last witnessed renovations over 20 years ago. As the population grows and the community’s healthcare needs expand, the number of patients needing treatment is expected to increase. The projected growth is what prompted the transformational renovation and expansion of the emergency department.

In a typical year more than 38,000 people visit the Emergency Department. The NCH emergency departments’ modernization project was initiated in 2014 with the renovation of the Emergency Department at North Naples Hospital.

NCH continued to focus on offering emergency services to the community by opening the first and only freestanding Emergency Department in Collier County, NCH Healthcare Northeast in 2015, followed by the first and only Pediatric Emergency Department in Collier County in 2016.

In December 2018, NCH opened the freestanding Emergency Department, NCH Healthcare Bonita, in south Lee County.

The NCH Baker Hospital’s original Emergency Department was 27,600 square feet of space, however, this renovation project to the Emergency Department will add another 19,300 square feet and include a second story addition. As part of the renovation and expansion, the first floor Observation Unit will be relocated to the new second floor space.

The current patient capacity of 32 (a mixture of bays and private beds) will be increased to 43 new private exam rooms and three lean-care chairs, along with a patient observation area increase from 18 bays to 24. Six resuscitation rooms with specialized equipment for acute, critical care of heart attacks, strokes and trauma will also be incorporated.

The new design focuses on our senior population, with improved patient privacy, comfortable family access areas, enhanced lighting, noise reduction, non-slip flooring and clearly defined wayfinding. The new lean-design model supports a more efficient workflow to achieve greater throughput and higher levels of patient satisfaction.

For more than 60 years, NCH has continuously evolved and enhanced its services to meet the needs of those it serves. The new innovative NCH Baker Hospital Emergency Department facility looks forward to continuing our proud tradition of offering efficient, emergency care and expanded access to our nationally recognized stroke and cardiac programs – all within 12 miles or less for most residents of Collier and southern Lee counties.