Hospital confirms big season

Hotels aren't the only ones packing people in this bang-up winter season.

You can find more evidence of a strong season for visitors at Gulf Coast hospitals.

In his weekly letter to constituents, Allen Weiss, president and CEO of NCH Healthcare System in Naples, says the system is experiencing its busiest season ever. “Our North Naples ER is 10% busier than last year, downtown 9% up, intensive care units an astounding 17% fuller, surgery increased 21%, overall system admissions up 8% and the NCH Physician Group growing 13%,” Weiss writes.

NCH, which has hired another 200 employees in the last two months, says the health care system is benefiting financially from the boom. That includes the system's newest project: A 40,000-square foot, two-story, freestanding emergency room with full radiology and offices for 12 physicians at the corner of Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard.

“As we grow, our financial performance improves, priming the pump for expansion and even better and more comprehensive services,” Weiss says.