Staff Reports
The first community medical center to provide emergency and urgent medical support in Florida, post-Hurricane Ian, officially opened in Lee County this week with Director of Florida Division of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie in attendance.
The facility, located inside Edison Mall in Ft. Myers, will be staffed 24/7 with medical personnel to treat, stabilize, and transfer patients to assist with overflow from regional hospitals. The site will have 100 beds with the ability to expand to 1,000 beds, as needed.
The community medical center is housed within a former Sears location at Edison Mall, spanning 30,000 square feet. The facility, located at 4125 Cleveland Avenue, will provide round-the-clock care with the ability to triage and treat patients with low-acuity medical needs and house them for 24-48 hours while they await transfer to the nearest available brick-and-mortar hospital.
The objective is to serve as a backup resource and medical center as patients receive treatment and care while area hospitals continue to assess damages as well as repair facilities in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
The facilitation of medical care is a joint effort comprised of multiple state and federal agencies, including FEMA, the Executive Office of the Governor, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service, the Florida Department of Health, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and Lee County.
Dozens of doctors, nurses, EMT’s and medical personnel from across Florida and the nation will staff the hospital.
“CDR Health and our entire team are grateful to Governor DeSantis and Director Kevin Guthrie for their commitment to a speedy and safe recovery effort. CDR is here to ensure residents affected by Hurricane Ian have access to urgent medical care as they focus on rebuilding their homes and lives after this catastrophic storm,” said Tina Vidal-Duart, CEO of CDR Health.
“We are here to supplement and serve as a resource to local brick-and-mortar hospitals and other medical facilities as they assess, repair, and reopen at full capacity. We have one mission — SAVE LIVES.”
