FORT MYERS, Fla. What was once a $242 million dream will become the new Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida on Saturday.
The facility will celebrate its grand opening from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 9981 South HealthPark Drive. Along with family-friendly activities, the public will also be allowed to tour the facilities.
The expansion allows for more patients at the facility, the only children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami. The previous facility was often filled to near capacity, which meant patients were often sent to either Miami Children’s Hospital or Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, officials said.
Every new detail of the state-of-the-art hospital has been done with a child in mind, including the building lighting up at night with patients having complete control of the colors, said Susan Ryckman, the hospital’s vice-president of patient care.