The NCH Healthcare System continues to garner substantial philanthropic support for a $200-million heart and stroke center that has yet to get the final go-ahead from the city of Naples.
Tom Golisano, a well-known philanthropist in Southwest Florida and elsewhere who founded Paychex, announced a $5 million grant for the project that will be matched by other community leaders.
More:NCH Heart Institute gets preliminary approval from Naples design board
“I am honored to support NCH and the outstanding team of healthcare professionals who will be providing critical stroke and cardiac care to our community,” Golisano said in a news release. “By investing in this facility, we are helping to ensure that our community has access to the best possible care when they need it most.”
The hospital system has been working on the project since 2021; the site is the Telford Education Center next to the Baker Hospital Downtown. Telford would be demolished.
The downtown campus and Telford building are between Fourth Avenue North, Eighth Street North, Second Avenue North and Sixth Street North.
To date NCH has raised a record $154 million of the $200-million goal, according to Troy Munn, executive director of NCH Philanthropy.
What can residents expect?
NCH officials say the project will bring state-of-the-art cardiac care to thousands of patients each year.
The plan is for four neuro-interventional radiology suites for emergency and non-emergency care for stroke, cerebral aneurysms, and carotid artery disease. The center will treat other conditions such as those affecting the brain.
The intent is to stop some patients from traveling elsewhere for cardiovascular and stoke care.
Currently cardiac care services, including open-heart surgery, are located within the Baker hospital.
The Golisano gift will provide for new technology at the heart center and two of the interventional radiology suites will be named after him.
“We are incredibly grateful for Tom Golisano’s generosity and leadership in supporting NCH heart, vascular and stroke initiatives,” Paul Hiltz, president and chief executive officer of NCH, said in a news release.
The project still needs approval
NCH needs to rezone the Telford site and some parts of the downtown campus to the city’s public services zoning district in order for the project to move forward.
That’s in order to build the five-story complex at 73 feet in height, which exceeds the 42-foot height limit for commercial buildings in the city. The plans to exceed that limit has caused unrest for some residents who are strict adherents to the commercial height limit approved by a voter referendum in 2000.
The plan includes a new parking garage off Sixth Street North that has upset homeowners in the residential neighborhood over intrusion, lights at night, and the loss of mature mahogany trees along the street.
NCH has made concessions that includes moving the three-story garage eastward 20 feet and adding more landscape buffering.
Ultimately the Naples City Council has the final say on the project in the public services district where all uses are conditional.
The hospital system is aiming for the rezoning and city council decision this fall with construction starting later in the year or early 2024.
Donations are pouring in
There have been several substantial gifts for the project from other notable philanthropists in Collier County
Best Buy founder Dick Schulze in late May gave $20 million through his Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation that led to the naming of the center as the R.M. Schulze Family Cardiovascular and Stroke Critical Care Center.
Former U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney increased a donation from the Rooney Family Foundation to $20 million that had originally been $8 million.
The heart center program will remain the NCH Rooney Heart Institute
More:Best Buy founder’s foundation gives historic gift to NCH Healthcare System
In February Diana and Don Wingard, notable local philanthropists, gave $20 million for the stroke center that will be named after them.
Golisano has supported numerous projects in the region in recent years.
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