Naples, FL., November 10, 2023 – Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and NCH officially broke ground today on the Patty & Jay Baker Pavilion, marking the beginning of construction of the new HSS at NCH musculoskeletal (MSK) center. Located on the campus of the NCH North Naples Hospital, the center promises to bring unparalleled orthopedic care to Naples and Southwest Florida.
Today’s ceremony marks the beginning of construction that will result in a state-of-the-art facility on the NCH North Naples Hospital campus that is more than 80,000 square feet in size. The center will offer outpatient and inpatient orthopedic services, including an ambulatory surgery center and imaging and rehabilitation services that will be jointly owned and operated with HSS. With the goal of funding this project primarily through private philanthropy, the new facility is expected to open to patients in early 2025.
“I am immensely proud to have helped bring HSS to our community,” said Jay Baker, Board Trustee at NCH, who alongside his wife, Patty, pledged a $20 million match grant earmarked for orthopedic services. “The new HSS at NCH collaboration is a testament to our commitment to world-class healthcare, and we are honored to have contributed to this transformative endeavor.”
Founded in 1863 and headquartered in New York City, HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center specializing in musculoskeletal health. HSS has been recognized as a top-ranked hospital for both orthopedics and rheumatology for 31 consecutive years, ranking no. 1 in orthopedics worldwide for the past four years by Newsweek and nationwide since 2010 by US News & World Report. Performing over 35,000 orthopedic surgical procedures annually, they consistently maintain the lowest complication and readmission rates for orthopedics in the nation.
This past summer, HSS and NCH proudly announced the appointment of David L. Helfet, MD, renowned HSS orthopedic trauma surgeon, as Executive Medical Director of HSS at NCH. While Dr. Helfet’s focus on orthopedic trauma has earned international acclaim, he also specializes in hip conditions and is part of the Hip Preservation Service at HSS. He is consistently ranked as one of New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors in New York” and Castle Connolly’s “America’s Top Doctors.” Under Dr. Helfet’s leadership, HSS at NCH will bring expert orthopedic surgeons to the area to perform a wide range of state-of-the-art orthopedic procedures.
Thousands of Florida residents are among the patients from more than 100 countries and all 50 states who have visited New York City for treatment at the HSS main campus. With the groundbreaking of the HSS at NCH center, these partners are one step closer to realizing their vision of providing leading-edge orthopedic care to the community without necessitating travel outside of Southwest Florida.
“This groundbreaking marks an important milestone in our quest to bring world-class orthopedic care to our community as NCH continues its journey to become an Advanced Community Healthcare System™,” said Paul Hiltz, President & CEO, NCH. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with HSS – the world leader in orthopedics – to make this high level of care available to our patients.”
“NCH and HSS are both patient-centric organizations committed to high-quality care, and we are aligned in our goal of making the highest quality orthopedic care more accessible to the people of Southwest Florida,” said HSS President and CEO, Bryan Kelly, MD, MBA.
“This is especially important to us at HSS, where we feel a great sense of responsibility not just to help more people, but to consistently achieve the highest quality outcomes for patients.”
“This new center made possible by Patty and Jay Baker will ultimately shape the way premier orthopedic care is served to this community for generations to come,” said Dr. Helfet. “We are building a world-class team of doctors, surgeons, nurses, and more, from around the world and within this community.”
“Our growing team is already hard at work, transferring and implementing HSS knowledge, standards, and methods to achieve the world’s highest-quality clinical care and patient experience right here in Southwest Florida,” added Dr. Helfet.
All donations to support orthopedic services at NCH are matched by the $20 million grant pledged by the Bakers. For more information on how you can support HSS at NCH and be part of this historic partnership, please contact the NCH Center for Philanthropy at 239-624-2000.
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