WINTER PARK, Fla. — Plans for a major expansion of Winter Park Memorial Hospital will soon be placed before city officials.
The plans for a new patient pavilion and expanded emergency room at Winter Park Memorial Hospital were unanimously approved by the Winter Park Planning and Zoning Board last week, with a few primarily aesthetic conditions.
The proposal will go to the City Commission on Aug. 24.
According to a city staff report, if approved, the overall capacity of the hospital would increase by 30 percent, from 320 beds to 417.
Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Peter Gottfried said there is no set timeline for bidding or construction if approved, though building could begin in multiple phases starting in 2016. It is unclear how much the proposed project would cost.
According to the staff report, the emergency room is undersized, outdated and functionally deficient.
One patient named Marissa said, "I had to wait three hours last night in the ER. There were these poor babies I kept seeing, these poor babies with hives and major conditions, not even 2 years old and had to wait, and their moms couldn't calm them down and it was a horrible sight to see."
"It was very important to me. I like my privacy respected and I felt like my privacy was respected," she said.
Also in the city staff report was the issue of parking.
Despite more than 100 spots being removed during construction, the report said there will still be more than enough space in current garages for staff and the increase in patients.
WFTV
