Officials have released the conceptual vision for Fishermen’s Community Hospital, a facility of Baptist Health South Florida. Baptist has set a goal of $15 million in contributions from the community toward the $40 million building, which will replace the facility in Marathon that was devastated by Hurricane Irma.
The new one-story structure would be built to withstand hurricanes and to meet the medical needs of the community within a 35-mile radius, the distance to the nearest hospital in the Keys.
The new hospital is expected to have fewer than 25 beds and the footprint is expected to be about half of the current 76,000 square feet. Construction is anticipated to begin during the first half of 2019.
“We sincerely hope the conceptual rendering will light the imagination of the public and help us reach our goal of raising $15 million in private philanthropy toward the total cost,” said Rick Freeburg, CEO of Fishermen’s Community Hospital and Mariners Hospital. “We’re committed to delivering high quality healthcare to the community, but as a not-for-profit organization, we can’t do it alone.”
