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NCH has numerous locations, including dowtown Naples, Immokalee Road and others with a new fit expanding care for women and children. -NCH \/ COURTESY PHOTOS<\/p>\n
Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) and Nicklaus Children\u2019s Hospital plan a major expansion of\u00a0care for\u00a0women and children\u00a0in Southwest Florida, made possible by a visionary gift from Bill and Julia Van Domelen Foundation. This investment will\u00a0establish\u00a0the\u00a0Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children and\u00a0support\u00a0construction of\u00a0the\u00a0Van Domelen Pavilion for Women\u00a0and\u00a0Children\u00a0on the\u00a0NCH North Hospital campus.\n<\/p>\n
Since opening its doors in 1956 and welcoming its first baby just two days later, NCH has grown alongside Southwest Florida, caring for generations. Today, as our region has experienced unprecedented growth and complexity in healthcare needs, we are\u00a0launching a bold initiative\u00a0because families deserve the\u00a0very best\u00a0care close to home.\n<\/p>\n
Collier County is home to more than 65,000 children,\u00a0with\u00a0the pediatric population projected to grow another four percent in\u00a0five years. NCH delivers\u00a0nearly\u00a03,700 babies\u00a0each year and operates the only pediatric emergency department in the county. With this expansion, women and children will benefit from shorter wait times, reduced travel, and coordinated care between hospital teams, specialists, and community providers.\n<\/p>\n
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Nicklaus Children\u2019s Health System President and CEO, Matthew A. Love (left) and NCH President and CEO, Paul Hiltz (right), gift Julia Van Domelen (middle) an honorary white coat. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
\u201cThis gift is about families,\u201d said Julia Van Domelen. \u201cIt represents the missing piece of our Foundation\u2019s work in Southwest Florida and our commitment to ensuring that women and children have access to the highest level of care at every stage of life, close to home. It is about bringing together care, access, and support so families do not have to leave their community during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cBill and Julia Van Domelen Foundation\u2019s vision has helped shape who we are today,\u201d said Paul Hiltz, President and CEO of NCH. \u201cThis next step ensures that every woman, every child, and every family in Southwest Florida can access exceptional care right here at home. We are deeply grateful for their extraordinary generosity and long-standing commitment to our community.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
For more than 20 years, Bill and Julia Van Domelen Foundation has been a steadfast partner to NCH, providing visionary leadership and generous philanthropic support that has helped bring life-saving programs to life. The Foundation\u2019s impact can be seen across the health system, from the Obstetric Emergency Department, which has helped save the lives of mothers and babies facing high-risk pregnancies, to hundreds of hours of specialized education for nurses and physicians through advanced simulation training. Their generosity has also strengthened the NCH Rooney Heart Institute, provided care for cardiology patients, and supported critical roles such as the Pediatric Special Needs Navigator, helping hundreds of families connect to the right care at the right time.\n<\/p>\n
The Van Domelen gift will be used to fund two parts of this major project: The Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children\u00a0\u2013 the new name of the program for women and children already in existence, and\u00a0The Van Domelen Pavilion for Women and Children\u00a0\u2013 the planned tower which will be the program\u2019s eventual hub.\n<\/p>\n
The Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children is the integrated model of care and programmatic framework that unifies services for women and children across Southwest Florida. The Institute integrates outpatient services, including maternal-fetal medicine, prenatal and postpartum care, pelvic floor therapy, menopause management, and pediatric subspecialty care. Extending care beyond hospital walls, the Institute will also address prevention, education, and chronic disease management across the lifespan through a coordinated, comprehensive approach.\n<\/p>\n
The Van Domelen Pavilion for Women and Children will be a four-story, 156,000-square-foot center of clinical excellence built above the existing emergency departments at NCH North Hospital. It will feature\u00a0modern\u00a0labor and delivery\u00a0suites, advanced operating rooms, enhanced maternal-fetal medicine, advanced women\u2019s health services, and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit\u00a0to keep\u00a0high-risk pregnancies and critically ill newborns close to home. A rooftop helipad will support rapid transport and\u00a0timely\u00a0access to lifesaving care. The Pavilion represents an over $350 million investment in our community, with NCH and Nicklaus Children\u2019s\u00a0partnering\u00a0to raise 80 percent through philanthropy to break ground.\n<\/p>\n
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Julia Van Domelen addresses the crowd during the announcement reception. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Pavilion and Institute will serve as a bridge, connecting exceptional hospital care with trusted community partners to create a seamless, integrated model of support,\u201d added Van Domelen. \u201cWhen families leave the hospital, they should be set up for success. Through this model of wraparound services, we believe we can help ensure long-term health and well-being for generations to come.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether with NCH, we are excited to bring nationally recognized pediatric expertise closer to home by working with\u00a0them\u00a0to create an integrated, family-centered model of care that will serve generations and ensure families receive the highest level of care when and where they need it.\u201d said Matthew A. Love, President and CEO of Nicklaus Children\u2019s Health System. \u201cOn behalf of the Nicklaus Children\u2019s board and organization, as well as Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, we thank Paul, Julia and both teams at NCH and the Bill and Julia Van Domelen Foundation for their commitment to advancing pediatric healthcare in Southwest Florida so families remain close to home.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The initiative will also strengthen\u00a0relationships with organizations that NCH has collaborated\u00a0with and Bill and Julia Van Domelen Foundation supports, such as Healthcare\u00a0Network, David\u00a0Lawrence Centers,\u00a0Neighborhood Health Clinic, Baker Senior Center\u00a0and others that provide wraparound services for children,\u00a0women,\u00a0and families. By connecting hospital care with preventive, behavioral health, and social support resources, this project creates a collaborative, sustainable model powered by philanthropy.\n<\/p>\n
As a nonprofit health system, NCH relies on the generosity and philanthropic support of local residents to expand facilities,\u00a0implement\u00a0advanced technologies, and deliver the highest level of care.\u00a0 Bill and Julia Van Domelen\u00a0Foundation\u2019s\u00a0extraordinary gift\u00a0represents\u00a0a defining moment in this effort, and community support will be essential to fully realize this vision for women and children in Southwest Florida.\n<\/p>\n