BayCare's Mease Countryside Hospital Begins $156 Million Expansion

January 08, 2018

New Patient Tower and Parking Garage with Elevated Walkway Designed to Enhance Access and Efficiency

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla., (January 8, 2018) -- Mease Countryside Hospital is starting a major expansion and renovation project that will create a more connected hospital campus by adding a new four-story patient tower with all private rooms and four-story parking garage with an elevated pedestrian walkway.

“We are responding to the growing needs of our surrounding community by enhancing access and efficiency, which we believe will improve the experience of our patients and their families,” said Lou Galdieri, president of Mease Countryside Hospital. “When complete, we will increase the number of private hospital rooms from 31 to 82 percent.”

Designed to create continuous platforms of care that support clinical excellence, the new patient tower will feature:

  • 70 private patient rooms
  • 30-bed patient observation unit
  • Critical care services combined into one cohesive unit with additional eight progressive care facilities 
  • Align inpatient and outpatient surgical services into one space
  • Increased capacity for Women’s Care by adding patient rooms and more Level II Neonatal Intensive Care beds
  • Expanded inpatient pharmacy
  • New outpatient chemotherapy and infusion services
  • New Endoscopy Unit

“Our parking and access to the hospital will change dramatically with the addition of a 950-space parking garage,” said Galdieri. 

An elevated pedestrian walkway connected to the new tower will give patients, visitors, hospital staff and physicians easier access to the hospital. The elevated pedestrian walkway will take people over Mease Drive which bisects the hospital campus. Landscaping will help emphasize green spaces and act as buffers to discourage pedestrian traffic on the street level.

Patient and visitor comfort is also part of the design with an outdoor courtyard with dining and seating areas, a children’s play space and a water feature. “We want to provide visitors with a relaxing area that incorporates natural elements, said Galdieri.

Construction of the new parking garage will begin in February with completion estimated for October. The next phase will be the new patient tower with estimated completion in August 2020.

The architect for Mease Countryside’s expansion and renovation is Freeman-White, Charlotte, NC and the contractor is Haskell, Jacksonville, Fla.

About Mease Countryside Hospital
Mease Countryside Hospital is a 311-bed facility committed to improving the health of everyone it serves. Mease Countryside has been awarded a total of 12 Top 100 Hospital designations in the areas of stroke, orthopedic, intensive care and overall care by the Truven Health Analytics 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success. Mease Countryside Hospital has also been designated as a “Baby-Friendly” Hospital by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in recognition of its ability to offer breastfeeding mothers the information, skills and support needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.  The hospital’s Primary Stroke Center and Spine Care has received the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval. Mease Countryside Hospital is located at 3231 McMullen Booth Road, Safety Harbor, Fla. For more information about Mease Countryside Hospital, go to www.baycare.org/mch. 

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org. 



###