- April 24, 2024
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Erin Hoover was all smiles as she added her name to the beam.
YMCA of Central Florida COO Dan Ickes wrote his name on the beam.
Members of the Horizon West hospital construction crew were excited to be in the topping-out stage.
Mark Marsh, president of Orlando Health’s Health Central Hospital, welcomed guests and thanked them for being part of the ceremony.
Winter Garden Mayor John Rees spoke about how this Horizon West hospital will benefit the community.
Dan Strong, president and CEO of Orlando Health, said that this the first new hospital Orlando Health has built in 15 years.
Guests were asked to take a Sharpie and sign the beam that would signify the hospital’s topping out.
Jane Dunkelberger carefully penned her name on the beam.
By the time the ceremony was wrapping up, dozens of names spanned the beam.
Construction workers carefully attached ropes to the beam before it was raised up.
A crane delivered the beam to the top of the new Horizon West hospital.
As a ceremonial construction beam was raised to the top of Orlando Health’s new Horizon West Hospital during its topping-out ceremony, it marked another milestone for the area’s surrounding communities.
On Thursday, Sept. 19, dozens of community leaders and members joined Orlando Health staff at the Porter Road facility to celebrate reaching the halfway mark of construction. Topping out signifies the completion of structural construction.
Orlando Health — Horizon West Hospital will be the organization’s acute-care facility adjacent to the existing emergency department and medical pavilion, located at 17000 Porter Road, Winter Garden. Construction began on the hospital in March, and it is expected to be complete in early 2021.
The six-story, $145 million hospital will comprise 214,000 square feet and act as a full-service, acute-care hospital with 120 beds.
“The topping-out ceremony signifies completion of a major phase of this construction project,” said Mark Marsh, president of Orlando Health’s Health Central Hospital. “While there is still more work to do, this event gives our community partners an opportunity to visit the site and join us in celebrating this significant milestone for Orlando Health and the Horizon West community.”
Marsh added that Orlando Health acknowledges the fast-growing community and is excited to be able to service the future health care needs of residents in southwest Orange County.
The medical campus currently features services like primary care, family medicine, OB/GYN, general surgery, laboratory, orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, urology, cardiology, pharmacy, outpatient rehabilitation and a center for health improvement. Continued hospital construction is expected to generate more than 500 construction jobs.
Winter Garden Mayor John Rees said that although the hospital is not in the Winter Garden city limits, he knows that it will be a facility that residents can go to for their health care needs.
“We’re grateful to see Orlando Health continue expansion in the health care services through the Horizon West Hospital,” Rees said. “As more families make their home here, it’s imperative that we keep pace with the increasing need of health care services. Orlando Health’s Horizon West Hospital will be a vital part of this community for many years to come.”
Orlando Health stated in a press release that once fully operational, the Horizon West Medical Campus is expected to create more than 750 new, permanent health care jobs.
“This is the first time in 15 years that Orlando Health has built a new hospital, and it’s certainly not going to be the last, because some others are quickly going to follow,” Orlando Health President and CEO David Strong said. “What I think it shows is the commitment of governance in our board to ensure that Orlando Health is growing with this community.”
