NCH Heart, Vascular, and Stroke Facility at Baker Hospital gets the Greenlight from City Leaders.

Paul Hiltz, President/CEO, FACHE

In partnership with the city of Naples and our community, the construction of the R.M. Schulze Family Cardiovascular and Stroke Critical Care Center at our downtown Baker campus has been approved. This strategic addition will seamlessly integrate with our existing cardiovascular facilities, and include three new operating rooms and intensive care units. Adding more operating rooms and cardiac intensive care units will significantly enhance our ability to meet the critical care needs of our community.

Our approach is rooted in the foundational elements of top heart programs across the nation, while maintaining our identity as an independent, community focused healthcare organization. Driven by our core values of clinical excellence, research, education, and innovation, we’re on a path to become the leading cardiac care provider in Southwest Florida and beyond.

The state of the art Schulze Cardiovascular and Stroke Center will redefine medical excellence by doubling the capacity of hybrid, catheterization lab, and electrophysiology suites. With an emphasis on holistic patient care, the institute will feature over two dozen additional private patient rooms, fostering an environment of comfort and privacy. Furthermore, the facility will house dedicated spaces for educational lectures and a presentation hall, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and advancements in cardiovascular and stroke care.

The institute will also serve as a hub for innovation, incorporating the latest technological advancements and providing space for groundbreaking clinical trials, underscoring our commitment to pioneering medical research. The proximity of the new proposed building to our main hospital is strategic and will allow for the integration and purposeful use of our existing three new state of the art cardiovascular ORs and cardiovascular intensive care units.

I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to our donors. Their combined pledges have exceeded well over $100 million, demonstrating an extraordinary show of support for the $200 million project. This ambitious endeavor wouldn’t have been possible without their visionary contributions.

The cardiac program at NCH was established over 25 years ago and is nationally recognized for its Code Save A Heart Program, Open Heart Surgery Program, Structural Heart Program (TAVR and WATCHMAN) and innovative, state of the art technology.

Facts about our current program include:

• Rated in the 95th percentile of STEMI performing hospitals in America and safest place to have a heart attack.
• Ranked one of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™ for 9 Years in a Row (2016-2024)
• The Society for Thoracic Surgeons (STS) awarded NCH a top three star rating -the highest category of quality- for its patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
• We have evolved to embrace the contemporary practice of a minimalistic approach to TAVR, using conscious sedation to assure patients an expedited recovery and next day discharge in over 90% of our patients
• Our door to balloon time is 38 minutes. The national average is 75 minutes.

The Schulze Cardiovascular and Stroke Critical Care Center will be a beacon of health and hope, thanks to the collective efforts of our community members, city council, and invaluable donors.

For more information on how you can support enhanced cardiac and stroke care in Naples, please contact our philanthropy office at 239-624-2000. For more information, please visitNCHMD.org