The downtown health care and social assistance industry has witnessed a decade-long growth of 170 percent, to 7,442 workers, and will continue to increase with new projects from the local hospital systems.
For example, both Florida Hospital and Orlando Health are under way on two projects that will reshape their downtown offerings.
Florida Hospital’s Health Village, an $810 million project that will include a five-story, 150,000-square-foot bioscience office building and a 52,000-square-foot research facility, will create more than 800 jobs.
Florida Hospital, which has eight hospitals throughout Central Florida, has its main 1,080-bed campus on Rollins Street just north of the central business district.
Meanwhile, Orlando Health officials expect to add upwards of 8,000 new jobs including downtown workers via campus expansions that would be anchored on the future 61-mile SunRail commuter rail system.
In addition, Orlando Health is underway on plans that include a 90,000-square-foot expansion of the emergency department at its Orlando Regional Medical Center, as well as a planned new 11-story, 192-bed tower.
Orlando Health, which has five hospitals in the region, has the 808-bed Orlando Regional Medical Center, the 158-bed Arnold Palmer Hospital Children and the 285-bed Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies off Kuhl Street just south of the central business district.
Insider viewpoint: “Our economic contribution to Central Florida is now some $4.5 billion and includes employment for more than 13,000 team members, new and on-going construction projects, advances in technologies and treatments, and infrastructure updates that benefit the entire community,” said Sherrie Sitarik, president and CEO of Orlando Health.