Lee Health Coconut Point Celebrates Five Years of Great Care

Five years ago, Lee Health Coconut Point opened as a new model of healthcare for community members in South Lee and Collier counties.

A lot has happened since then: Tremendous urban growth, COVID-19, and, of course, Hurricane Ian. 

Through those challenges and more, Lee Health Coconut Point – which celebrates its fifth anniversary later this month – continues to honor its promise to deliver innovative services to the residents of Southwest Florida.

We hope you’ll celebrate with us. We invite you to join the open house party, which will take place from 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, at Lee Health Coconut Point, 23450 Via Coconut Point, Estero. The event is open to the public.

Besides recognizing five years of outstanding patient care and growth, we’ll also honor the life and legacy of Don Eslick, a community advocate and tireless leader whose contributions earned him the beloved title of “Mr. Estero.” Eslick and many others were instrumental in calling attention to the need for a modern healthcare facility in South Lee.

To RSVP for the celebration, call 239-468-0050.

How we got here: All you need to know 

Since Dec. 3, 2018, Lee Health Coconut Point (LHCP) has focused on our community’s unique needs with personalized care, technology such as artificial intelligence, telehealth, and robotics programs. 

Designed as a comprehensive outpatient medical health and wellness destination, LHCP is hardly done growing. In fact, the award-winning facility is just beginning to realize its potential.

“The vision for LHCP remains a very exciting one after five years,” says Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA, President & CEO of Lee Health. “We know that a large percentage of the population of Lee County will be living in that southern region in the next 10-15 years. And what we want to do is we want to build a center that revolves around the patient and the patient’s needs.”

It has the inpatient feel of a hospital with a full-service, 24/7 emergency department, as well as round-the-clock laboratory, radiology, respiratory, and pharmacy services. 

LHCP also doubles as a state-of-the-art outpatient center with primary care, specialty physician offices, an outpatient surgery center, retail pharmacy, lab draw station, and rehabilitation services, including cardiac rehab.

There’s no place like home

We like our familiar places. We thrive in them. That’s the idea behind LHCP’s commitment to preventive health and medical care services.

• Emergency Department: Get care right away with our freestanding emergency department, open 24 hours a day, all year long.
• Lee Physician Group: Find a primary care physician or specialist for you and your family.
• Rehabilitation: Enjoy a personalized plan to help you recover from various injuries and conditions.
• Women’s Health (OB/GYN): These services combine a variety of specialties and programs, including obstetrics and gynecology, bone density scans, and mammography.
• Orthopedics. From a simple hand condition to the most complex surgical issue, we try to maximize each patient’s recovery and return them to a healthy and productive lifestyle.
• Outpatient services: More outpatient services means less time inside a hospital. LHCP is home to diagnostic imaging services such as X-rays, CAT scans, ultrasounds, and other essential tests. 
• Full-Service Pharmacy: The pharmacy provides a full array of generic and brand-name medications and other essentials for you and your family.
• Short-stay observation and recovery beds.

And you can receive all these exceptional services under one roof: diagnosis, pharmacy and laboratory services, imaging tests, expert consultations, outpatient surgery, and physical or rehabilitative therapy.

Technology that improves patient care

As Southwest Florida’s population grows by leaps and bounds, the facility remains committed to expanding its heart, cancer, and orthopedic healthcare services to meet growing demand.

Cancer care: Patients in southern Lee and Collier counties needing cancer care can now get both at the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Cancer Clinic. The most comprehensive cancer care available in Southwest Florida opened last month at the Bonita Health Center, which is right next to Coconut Point. 

Robotics program: LHCP’s robotics program continues to enhance patient care in minimally invasive procedures that help patients heal faster with less need for pain medications. 

AI-powered heart scans: Lee Health was the first hospital system in Florida to apply artificial intelligence to its coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) program. The non-invasive AI-powered imaging enables early heart disease detection and can predict potential heart problems before patients begin to show symptoms. 

LHCP Observation Unit: When we visit an emergency room during a medical crisis, the last thing on our mind is leaving and being transported somewhere else for monitoring or treatment. The LHCP Observation Unit helps keep area residents close to home.

“Our patients of South Lee and North Collier have access to many of the same diagnostic tests and exams as they would in a traditional big-box hospital, including overnight stays if needed,” says Joe Ryan, system director of ancillary services at LHCP. “The unit is very progressive in its use of technology and relies on telehealth technology to connect patients to physician specialists at main hospital campuses when necessary.”  

Telehealth medicine services: At LHCP, each patient treatment room is equipped with high-definition cameras, audio, and interaction ability designed for doctors to assess patients—even when they’re not in the room. Telemedicine technology allows doctors to evaluate and diagnose patients from a remote location. After the assessment, physicians can design a plan of care for patients. 

“The goal was to anticipate what is coming in the future, what is right here right now, and how we can be more efficient in our care,” says Jonathan Witenko, System Director of Virtual Health and Telemedicine at Lee Health.

Inspiring healthy habits and wellness

LHCP has much to offer our patients and the community, especially when it comes to health and wellness.

Healthy Life Center: Located within LHCP, the Healthy Life Center offers services and education to support healthy lifestyles, early detection of disease, and chronic disease management. 

The Center also features nutrition and wellness courses, health screenings, children’s programs, yoga classes, a teaching kitchen, holistic services, and more.

What does the future hold?

Joe calls LHCP “the new model of healthcare,” a facility that he says can engage with and flex to the community's needs. 

“Many of the services LHCP offers have traditionally required an inpatient hospital stay,” Joe says. “Through technology and innovation, facilities like ours will emerge as the new model for healthcare. Large hospitals will always be there when patients require highly specialized procedures and complex surgeries.”

Fast facts about LHCP

• Named “Best Large Business” by the greater Estero Chamber of Commerce, LHCP ranks among the nation’s best medical facilities, according to patient ratings. Specifically, its emergency department, surgery center, and ancillary departments consistently rank in the 99^th or 100^th percentile nationally. 

Since opening, the team at LHCP has completed:

• More than 16,000 cases at our surgery center.
• More than 90,000 emergency department visits.
• More than 180,000 retail pharmacy doses.
• More than 1,600 Healthy Life Center classes.
• More than 76,000 radiology exams.
• More than 800,000 lab tests.

• The ER has doubled in volume from year one to five by nearly 101%.
• Surgeries: 314% growth.
• Rehab (PT/OT/ST): 108% growth.
• Pharmacy: 863% growth.
• Lab: 300% growth.
• Women’s breast health services: 142% growth.
• Doctors appointments: 102% growth.