SPRING HILL — Expectant mothers in Hernando County will soon have a new alternative for delivering their babies.
Oak Hill Hospital is planning to get back into the baby business by adding obstetrics to the long list of services it offers.
A dozen years ago, the hospital closed its obstetrics unit, deciding to focus on other specialties. That left moms-to-be with just one local alternative — the hospital now known as Bayfront Health Spring Hill.
The reasons for bringing back obstetrics are twofold, according to Richard Linkul, director of marketing for Oak Hill.
"The community dynamics have changed significantly,'' Linkul said. "With the introduction of the 589 (Suncoast) Parkway, we are now 50 minutes from Tampa, so there are many folks who are interested in working in Tampa or the suburbs but would love the more rural, relaxed environment of Hernando County'' for their home.
The obstetrics unit also fits with the hospital's ongoing growth.
"We would like to continue offering more and more services,'' Linkul said.
The growth mode makes sense, he said, because even though the economic slowdown has reduced the community's growth rate, he believes an improving economy will once again accelerate population growth.
The hospital has already cleared its first tier of approvals through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and is in the architectural development phase for the $13.7 million project. The OB unit will be housed on the soon-to-be built third floor of the hospital's North Tower, Linkul said.
The hospital is working with Gould Turner Group PC, an architectural firm out of Nashville, and general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, also of Nashville.
"It's actually the same team we used to build this North Tower, so they are extremely familiar with our community, our other subcontractors and our hospital management,'' he said.
The $52 million, 70,000-square-foot North Tower opened last year and houses a variety of facilities, including surgical suites, recovery bays, a family lounge for the surgery area and intensive care rooms. Eventually, the North Tower will mirror the six-floor South Tower, Linkul said.
Construction on the new area will take about a year, and the hope is that the first new arrivals will be delivered at the hospital in early 2016. In the interim, the hospital plans to begin offering classes related to childbirth sometime in the middle of next year.
While the construction will generate local jobs, Linkul noted that the new specialty will also bring more jobs to the hospital.
Currently, Oak Hill has 262 beds. Because the OB unit is still in the design phase, Linkul said he wasn't sure of how many beds will be added or the exact look and feel of the new unit. He did say that the furnishings will be high-end.
Hospital officials have been working with local physicians in the obstetrics and gynecology specialties, as well as pediatricians.
"As we move forward and introduce this, we'll be working with all of them,'' Linkul said. "We think we're going to start attracting younger folks, families. Hopefully, if we do a good job, it will be the start of a long-term, patient-centered relationship with all these folks.''
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Explore all your optionsRestoring OB services could also have an effect on the mix of patients at Oak Hill. Currently, about 78 percent of the hospital's patients are on Medicare.
"We've very excited to offer this new service line to our community, and we'll continue to focus on making sure our staff is of the highest quality,'' Linkul said.
At Bayfront Health Spring Hill, marketing director Susan Frimmel said that "the addition of a new program in our market will only strengthen our resolve to remain the provider of choice for mothers in our community.''
The hospital's obstetrics program has earned several honors in recent years for its high level of service, Frimmel noted.
Bayfront Health Spring Hill delivers nearly 1,700 babies annually and has the only neonatal intensive care unit in the county.