Naples Comprehensive Health and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital have announced a major expansion of women and children’s health services in Southwest Florida.

Backed by a philanthropic gift from the Bill and Julia Van Domelen Foundation, the initiative includes the creation of the Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children and the construction of a four-story, 156,000-square-foot facility named the Van Domelen Pavilion for Women and Children, to be located on the NCH North Hospital campus. The project carries a total estimated cost of more than $350 million, with the partners aiming to raise 80% through philanthropic contributions.

The Miami-based Nicklaus Children’s Health System is partnering with NCH to broaden access to pediatric and women’s health services in a region that has seen rapid population growth. Collier County currently has more than 65,000 children, with that number projected to rise another 4% in five years. NCH, which already delivers nearly 3,700 babies each year and operates the county’s only pediatric emergency department, will serve as the hub of the new integrated care model.
The new pavilion will include labor and delivery suites, operating rooms, maternal-fetal medicine, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, and a rooftop helipad. Meanwhile, the renamed institute will coordinate care across outpatient services such as prenatal and postpartum care, menopause management, pelvic floor therapy, and pediatric specialty services.

“This gift is about families,” said Julia Van Domelen. “It represents the missing piece of our Foundation’s work in Southwest Florida and our commitment to ensuring that women and children have access to the highest level of care at every stage of life, close to home.”

Nicklaus Children’s president and CEO Matthew Love added, “Together with NCH, we are excited to bring nationally recognized pediatric expertise closer to home by working with them to create an integrated, family-centered model of care.”

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