Proposed Heart and Stroke Institute in Downtown Naples in jeopardy

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez
Published: Updated:
CREDIT: NCH

NCH wants to build a Heart and Stroke Institute also known as the Schulze Center at their downtown campus.

“It will house the heart, the vascular in the stroke, disease states that are very prevalent in our community,” said Dr. Robert Cubeddu, president of the NCH Rooney Heart Institute. “Our goal is really to build a center of excellence around heart, vascular and stroke.”

NCH already has the community’s support with donations amounting to over $100 million, but now they need the green light from the city.

“It’s time to make a decision. It’s time to vote yes,” said Dr. Cubeddu.

In a statement Wednesday, the City of Naples said, “Major projects like this one takes time and it is not abnormal for PAB and council to continue items to obtain more information prior to their decisions. PAB (Planning Advisory Committee) continued the NCH items at the last meeting to seek more information, which NCH will provide at the Dec. 13 meeting.”

Dr. Robert Cubeddu said it is all about patient care.

“There’s a vast prevalence of heart disease, vascular disease in this community. To remind our audience and our community, it’s the number one cause of death in America, heart disease, and one of the number one causes of hospital admission,” he said.

NCH CEO Paul Hiltz said they have spent two years working on the plan.

“The doctors and the patients really are getting frustrated that we haven’t got the project started,” Hiltz said.

Changes include lowering the building’s height, reducing its square footage, relocating the parking area farther from the street and adding landscaping.

“We’re really going to work with the city very closely over these next couple of weeks to try to get it over the finish line,” he said.

The City of Naples said the project hasn’t been turned down nor approved. It’s still in the review process and will be heard by the planning advisory board on Dec.13.

After that, it would go to the city council next, in January.

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