PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — It's been over five months since Punta Gorda has had a functional hospital, and some residents are getting concerned about the lack of emergency medical care.
The former Shorepoint Hospital in Punta Gorda closed in October, after it flooded in Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Since then, what was the city’s only emergency room and hospital, has sat vacant.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on concerns over not having a hospital in Punta Gorda:
Without access to emergency care within the city, longtime residents Jackie Evans and Joe Gallo told Fox 4 they are beginning to feel vulnerable.
“Our concern is not only for us but for the community, for the neighborhood,” said Evans. “We don’t have a hospital and God forbid if a medical concern comes about we can’t even go to a hospital here.”
On March 1, AdventHealth officially bought the hospital in Punta Gorda, along with the functional Shorepoint hospital in Port Charlotte. According to an AdventHealth press release about the sale, the company “plans to work with the Punta Gorda community to assess its needs and determine the best way to care for its residents.”
Fox 4 asked AdventHealth if it has started the assessment process, and what plans it has for the shuttered hospital in Punta Gorda. A spokesperson for the company responded with the following statement:
“We recognize the importance of access to care in Punta Gorda. I can tell you our AdventHealth leadership is actively meeting with local community leaders, physicians, first responders and looking through data. We are assessing the needs of the community to determine how to best serve residents. No immediate decisions have been made, and we will share updates as we evaluate next steps.”
According to Interim City Manager Melissa Reichert, city officials have not yet met with AdventHealth, but hopes to do so soon.
Evans told Fox 4 those conversations can’t come soon enough.
“[They need to] get off their you know what and do something about it, give us answers, you know we should count for something,” said Evans.
Without a hospital in Punta Gorda, Charlotte County Public Safety told Fox 4 most patients in the city limits that are transported by ambulance are taken to either HCA Florida Fawcett or AdventHealth hospitals in Port Charlotte. Those hospitals are about a 10-15 minute drive north of the former Punta Gorda hospital, something residents told Fox 4 is concerning as seconds matter in an emergency.
“If it's a heart attack it's a life or death situation, minutes just click on and it can be a problem,” said Gallo.
