
The North Tampa Bay Chamberâs quarterly Economic Development Briefing on Sept. 24 brought four of the principals involved in the design, construction and staffing of the Johns Hopkins All Childrenâs Hospital of Wesley Chapel, which is being built just off the Overpass Rd. exit of I-75. The event was held at Pasco Hernando State Collegeâs Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.
NTBC president and CEO Hope Kennedy led the panel discussion that included Justin Olsen, the chief operating officer and Dr. Joseph Perno, the VP of Medical Affairs of Johns Hopkins All Childrenâs Hospital, as well as HKS Architects partner Teresa Campbell, and Bryan Durkin, the operations manager from Robins & Morton, which is building the 230,000-sq.- ft., 56-bed hospital at the northwest corner of Overpass Rd. and McKendree Rd.
Wesley Chapelâs first and only pediatric hospital is expected to be completed in late 2027, but this was the first real opportunity for the local business community to get an update on the progress of the hospital since the groundbreaking ceremony for it back in April of this year.
âThe overall land purchase was about 112 total acres, and the hospital will be on about 30 acres, which is actually the same size as our St. Petersburg campus,â Olsen said. âThe facility itself will have a full-service pediatric ED (Emergency Department) and will offer perioperative and surgical services and also will have our first inpatient rehab program for physical rehab. I will tell you that in St. Pete, we have a need for that service, so this project is going to become a center of excellence for us, to be able to provide rehab following traumatic injury. Itâll have med-surg beds, or general admission beds, and itâll also be ready for a pediatric intensive care unit. We may not launch with that, but the facility will be designed so that, if we need to turn that on right away, we can. Lastly, it will have a really extensive outpatient footprint, with approximately 30,000 sq. ft. for kids coming in for ambulatory visits. And, weâve already started recruiting a host of subspecialists to join the staff and live in Wesley Chapel to provide that care.â
Dr. Perno added, âItâs more than just a building. Itâs moving our culture and our attitude about how we care for children, and replicating that from what we do in St. Pete to provide that same high-quality care. Iâm really excited about finding the physicians that want to be part of this community and provide that care to our local pediatric patients.â
He added, âIâm probably not telling anybody in this room something they donât already know, but this is a growing area. Thereâs a lot of young people here and thereâs a dearth of pediatric care in this area. Iâve seen a lot of patients from this area coming to the emergency department in St. Pete and I know theyâre commuting all the way down there to see our caregivers. And, I knew that we could bring the care we deliver in St. Pete closer to home for our patients in Pasco County, so we feel weâre fulfilling a big need for the community and really helping children, which is what weâre all about.â
Campbell said, âWe love designing pediatric facilities. Just because a patient is having a stressful health situation doesnât mean they shouldnât be in an environment thatâs elevating and inspiring and playful. We also think about the patientâs family, and we need to be really thoughtful about the design We work with the Patient Family Advisory Council, to really ask them, âWhat do they need? What do they want? What do they like? What do they dislike?â We work with real patients with real parents, who provide feedback and input that really helped influence the design aspect of this project.â
As for the construction process, Durkin said, âAs important as the doctors and nurses are to a hospital, subconratctors and trade partners are the folks who get the job done on the construction side. Weâre getting our door knocked on consistently by high-quality contractors who want to work in a health care facility and understand the unique challenges of building health care and hospitals.âÂ
He added, âAnd, whatâs unique about this arrangement is that Johns Hopkins hired the construction manager at the same time as they hired the architect design team, so there was a collaboration right from the get-go of budget, design and purpose. Iâm happy to continue to extend our invitation out to additional trade partners throughout the area, but our outreach started almost two years ago, when we were awarded the project . Weâll have 400-500 people on the site on any given day and 1,200-1,300 different folks come in throughout the course of the overall project. Itâs important that we engage folks in Pasco County, specifically â itâs one of our contractual requirements.â
And, speaking of that workforce, Olsen said, âYes, weâre bringing 500 jobs to the community, which is good news, but itâs also anxiety-provoking. We all know health care team members are in short supply, so making sure we can find people is going to be a challenge. We will hire a myriad of different types of roles, from administrators through nursing, and all those areas that go into a hospital and make it work. So weâre gonna have a lot of hiring to do here, and it is gonna be certainly a challenge as we look at some of our in-demand specialty areas.â
He added, âI didnât appreciate how many of our current team members actually drive to St. Pete from this community. So, a lot of them have already started sending emails almost every week. âWhen do I get to apply for it?â I love that people who are currently part of that culture and our team are going to join the facility here, and they will help make it the exact same in terms of always putting the kid first. It is going to be a big lift, to bring 500 new, really well-paying jobs to this community.â
Dr. Perno also noted that, âWeâre looking for physicians who want to care for kids and be embedded in this community. And Iâm already hearing interest on that. And, you know, we, already have people asking, âWhen is it opening? When can I start working there?â Iâm like, well, weâve just got dirt right now, but weâre working on it.â
He added, âWe have a clinic in this area now thatâs bursting at the seams (on Allegra Way, off Wesley Chapel Blvd.) with physicians and practitioners working there, seeing patients. So, weâre looking at more opportunities up in this area and the physicians are fighting to go there and be part of it.â
Campbell also talked about how the building itself is being designed to be as hurricane-proof as possible, with multiple backup systems for power and water, high-wind-rated windows and more. And, Durkin talked about the challenges of dealing with two more hurricane seasons while the hospital is being constructed.
Olsen noted that this $300-million project, âis not Johns Hopkins All Childrenâs Hospital of St. Pete coming to Wesley Chapel. We are building Wesley Chapelâs childrenâs hospital. We will provide the departments and services this community asks for. This is a partnership. Weâve already been accepted amazingly by this community and will do what the community asks to improve kidsâ health.â