Lee Memorial Hospital Acute Care Campus
Lee Memorial Hospital Acute Care Campus
Fort Myers, Florida
Client: Lee Health
Market Sector: Healthcare
Role: Geotechnical Engineering, Construction Materials Testing, Threshold Inspection, Fireproofing, CWI & Fire Stop Inspection Partner
Client Need
Lee Health initiated development of a new acute-care hospital campus in Fort Myers to meet the rapidly growing healthcare demands of Lee County, one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation. The project represents the first newly developed acute-care hospital campus for Lee Health in Fort Myers and was designed to consolidate inpatient, outpatient, surgical, and rehabilitation services into a single destination, transforming how healthcare services are delivered throughout the region.
Delivered while the existing Lee Memorial Hospital campus remained fully operational, the project required careful coordination, phased construction sequencing, and continuous stakeholder engagement to minimize disruption to ongoing healthcare operations. Lee Health required a trusted engineering and inspection partner with extensive healthcare construction experience and the ability to support multiple concurrent construction activities under rigorous life-safety and performance standards.
How We Helped
UES provided comprehensive geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, threshold inspections, fireproofing inspections, certified welding inspections (CWI), and fire stop inspection services throughout the development of the new hospital campus. Building on a long-standing relationship with Lee Health, this project marked the third ground-up hospital project UES has supported for the healthcare system.
The project required aggressive construction sequencing and concurrent field operations, including two-phase geotechnical exploration, pile monitoring and testing, daily earthwork and concrete testing, FF/FL testing, and threshold inspections performed during active hospital construction. UES also supported 24-hour, on-call concrete placement operations and provided continuous threshold, welding, structural steel bolting, and fire inspection and certification services to help maintain schedule progression and compliance with stringent healthcare facility standards.
To support the project team’s demanding reporting requirements, UES re-evaluated internal controls and workflows to streamline the delivery of accurate, consistent, and timely reporting across multiple service lines and departments.
Project Highlights
- Facility Type: New acute-care hospital campus
- Healthcare Model: Consolidated inpatient, outpatient, surgical, and rehabilitation services
- Services Provided:
- Geotechnical engineering
- Construction materials testing
- Threshold inspections
- Fireproofing inspections
- Certified welding inspections (CWI)
- Fire stop inspections
- Construction Support:
- Two-phase geotechnical exploration
- Pile monitoring and testing
- Daily earthwork and concrete testing
- FF/FL testing
- 24-hour on-call inspection support
- Technical Challenges:
- Concurrent construction activities during active hospital operations
- High-performance standards for slabs, structural systems, and building envelopes
- Streamlined reporting workflows across multiple departments and stakeholders
- Future Planning: Potential virtual design and construction (VDC) integration to support future campus expansion opportunities
Client & Community Impact
UES is proud to support the development of critical healthcare infrastructure that will expand access to high-quality medical services for the growing Southwest Florida community. The new campus will replace the existing hospital facility while increasing patient capacity by 92 beds and creating a modern healthcare environment designed to support long-term regional needs.
Beyond healthcare delivery, the project is expected to generate substantial economic impact throughout Lee County, including the creation of more than 6,500 jobs, approximately $500 million in employee earnings, and an estimated $1.3 billion in sales activity. Through comprehensive engineering and inspection support, UES contributed to the successful advancement of a transformative healthcare project that will serve patients, healthcare professionals, and the broader community for generations to come.
