Detailed design work to begin

Health First announced that HuntonBrady Architects has been selected as the architect of record to design the new Viera Hospital, a 100-private-bed facility, slated to open in the fall of 2010.

In April, after several years of overwhelming community support and a lengthy review and appeal process, Health First was awarded the required Certificate of Need from the State Agency for Health Care Administration. This document certifies the need for a new acute-care hospital with a full-service emergency department.

"We are now entering the detailed design phase of the Viera Hospital project, a significant milestone in a journey that began more than four years ago," said Jerry Senne, Senior VP of Business Development. "To ensure that the long-awaited hospital meets the healthcare needs of the Viera and Suntree areas, we have selected an exceptional design partner - HuntonBrady Architects."

HuntonBrady Architects

"HuntonBrady proved to be the best architectural choice from many aspects," said Senne. "We were impressed by the company's design excellence and relevant hospital experience, depth of resources, and integration of the service mix, quality control, and understanding of the healthcare field."

HuntonBrady Architects has designed numerous other healthcare facilities including the nationally-recognized H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center Outpatient Clinic and Vincent A. Stabile Cancer Research Laboratory in Tampa; the Celebration Health Medical Plaza in Celebration; the 440-bed Inpatient Tower and Cardiovascular Institute Expansion for Florida Hospital-Orlando and the 3-story vertical expansion at Fish Memorial Hospital in Orange City. The firm has also designed the Florida Children's Hospital expansion in Orlando, the new Ormond Memorial Replacement Hospital in Daytona Beach, and facilities in Ft. Lauderdale, Hialeah, Sebring and Palm Coast. They are the architect of record for The University of Florida's Cancer & Genetics Institute and Biomedical Sciences Building and the new Medical School at the University of Central Florida.

As a local not-for-profit health system formed in 1995 with the joining of Cape Canaveral Hospital, Holmes Regional Medical Center, and Palm Bay Community Hospital, today the Health First system also includes Health First Health Plans, Health First Physicians, home health and hospice services, three Pro-Health & Fitness Centers, the Health First Aging Institute, and outpatient clinics and diagnostic services.