Mayo Clinic announces hospital projects in Florida, Wisconsin and Minnesota

The Mayo Clinic system has announced plans to invest nearly $800 million in three hospital projects.

The organization announced plans Tuesday for a $432 million expansion to its Jacksonville hospital, the latest in a series of moves to invest more in the Sunshine State.

In addition, the Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minn., plans to build a new hospital in Wisconsin and expand another facility in Minnesota. The two midwestern projects will cost a combined $353 million.

Here’s a rundown of the projects.

Florida

The Jacksonville expansion calls for a five-story tower that will add 121 inpatient beds, including 56 ICU beds. The Mayo Clinic said construction is expected to begin this year and should be complete by 2026.

Kent Thielen, CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida, said the expansion will improve the experience for patience and promote digital innovation.

“The expansion of our hospital will enable Mayo Clinic to offer outstanding, high-quality care to more patients with serious and complex illnesses,” he said in a statement.

The Mayo Clinic in Florida opened in 2008 and has expanded substantially in recent years. The Mayo Clinic in Florida now employs more than 8,300 people, a 23% increase over the past three years.

The Mayo Clinic has invested more than $1 billion in major construction projects in Florida since 2016.

"As a premier academic medical center, it's extremely exciting to see the continued growth and transformational innovation taking place on our campus,” Thielen said in the news release.

Later this year, the Mayo Clinic will break ground on a new, 200,000-square-foot cancer center. The system said it is building the first carbon ion therapy center in North America. Mayo researchers have said carbon ion therapy has the capability of killing cancer cells that survive typical radiation treatment. Some facilities in Europe and Asia are using carbon ion therapy.

The Mayo Clinic’s other projects include expansion of the emergency department, an eight-story Hilton hotel and parking facilities.

With its large and fast-growing population, Florida continues to be a magnet for healthcare organizations.

HCA Healthcare recently announced plans to build three new hospitals in Florida.

Wisconsin

The Mayo Clinic Health System said it will build a new hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The plans call for a six-floor, 70-bed hospital that will replace its current hospital building. The Mayo Clinic Health System operates hospitals, clinics and facilities in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

The new hospital will include a surgical and procedural floor, a flexible ICU, endoscopy suites and a new family birth center.

Construction should begin this spring and is expected to be finished in 2024.

Minnesota

The system said it will build a three-floor expansion to its hospital in Mankato, Minn. The project will add 121 beds.

The expansion will add a new and larger ICU, a new medical-surgical unit and a new family birth center. This project is slated to begin later this year and is expected to be completed in 2024.

Prathibha Varkey, president of Mayo Clinic Health System, said the projects in Minnesota and Wisconsin will utilize cutting-edge technology and smart design to support staff and improve patient care.

"These next-generation hospitals are part of our long-term vision to transform community care locally while also setting the standard for community health systems across the country," Varkey said in a statement.