WATCH: Health First Officially Breaks Ground on New Cape Canaveral Hospital in Merritt Island on ‘3-2-1 Day’

New 268,000-square-foot Cape Canaveral Hospital will include 120 private inpatient beds

WATCH: Donning traditional hard hats and ceremonial shovels, Health First officials today officially broke ground on the new Cape Canaveral Hospital and Medical Office Building in Merritt Island. o add a celebratory flair to the event, Health First chose March 21, also known as ‘321 Day’ in Brevard County – a special nod to the region’s 3-2-1 area code and heavy aerospace/technology industry concentration.

The new hospital was designed for and will be built to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. Additionally, the entire campus site will be constructed 13 feet above sea level to withstand storm surge.

BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – Donning traditional hard hats and ceremonial shovels, Health First officials today officially broke ground on the new Cape Canaveral Hospital and Medical Office Building in Merritt Island.

To add a celebratory flair to the event, Health First chose March 21, also known as ‘321 Day’ in Brevard County – a special nod to the region’s 3-2-1 area code and heavy aerospace/technology industry concentration.

“We are happy to celebrate where we come from. Cape Canaveral Hospital first opened its doors to our community on July 22, 1962. It was the first and only hospital to serve the beach and barrier island communities in Brevard County at the time,” said Health First Board Chair Kent Smith.

“Since then, Cape has received numerous awards, accreditations and recognitions and was most recently named to Newsweek’s “Best Hospitals” list for the fourth year in a row, and we’re not done yet,” Smith continued.

“This new project has been in the works for a long time – and it truly speaks to Health First’s vision, mission and strategy to set our community up for success today and beyond. We are focused on caring for the exact needs of our community, and this moment reminds us of that,” he said.

Expected to cost approximately $410 million, construction is slated to finish by the end of 2026 and the hospital will officially open to the public in early 2027.

Donning traditional hard hats and ceremonial shovels, Health First officials officially broke ground on the new Cape Canaveral Hospital and Medical Office Building in Merritt Island. Above, left to right, are Health First Foundation President Michael Seeley, Cape Canaveral Administrator Dan Bowen, Nurse Anne Clayton-Orrison, Executive Vice president, COO/CFO Brett Esrock, and health First Board Chair Kent Smith. (Health First image)

The new 268,000-square-foot Cape Canaveral Hospital will include:

■ 120 private inpatient beds.
■ 25 Emergency Department treatment rooms
■ 6 Operating Rooms

The hospital was designed for and will be built to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. Continuation of care and the potential for evacuation will be evaluated for individual storms, in consultation with state officials.

Additionally, the entire campus site will be constructed 13 feet above sea level to withstand storm surge. The campus will be served by an on-site Central Energy Plant, built to ensure continuous power function even during tropical storms and hurricanes.

The campus will feature ample parking, including 296 paved/surface parking spots and 533 covered/structure parking spots. The three-deck parking structure and surface parking spots will provide easy and convenient access within our campus.

The new 268,000-square-foot Cape Canaveral Hospital will include 120 private inpatient beds, 25 Emergency Department treatment rooms and six Operating Rooms. The new project will also include a new 3-story, 92,000-square-foot Medical Office Building. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2026 and begin serving our community in early 2027 – simultaneously with the new Cape Canaveral Hospital.

Medical Office Building

The new project will also include a new 3-story, 92,000-square-foot Medical Office Building. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2026 and begin serving our community in early 2027 – simultaneously with the new Cape Canaveral Hospital.

Anne Clayton-Orrison was on hand to describe her unique experience with Cape Canaveral Hospital. She was born at the hospital, as were her three children, and she has spent the majority of her nursing career there.

“I have had the honor and privilege of working for Health First. But my connection here goes much deeper. I was also born at Cape Canaveral Hospital. And even better than that – all three of my children were born there also. And so was my nursing career,” she said.

“I have worked for Health First for 9 years as a registered nurse and am currently the Director of Patient Care Services at Holmes Regional Medical Center. Before that, I worked at Cape Canaveral – serving as an oncology nurse – then worked my way up to nurse manager, all on 4West at Cape Canaveral,” said Clayton-Orrison.

“Cape Canaveral Hospital will always be home for me and that building itself holds a huge piece of my heart and my own life history. Cape Canaveral cares for so many of the people that I love personally and professionally. It’s an icon in our community for its long-standing history, amazing views and truly unique culture.  I am incredibly excited for this part of Brevard to have the opportunity to experience a state-of-the-art facility that I know will exceed the expectations of our associates and customers. And I am proud to have a hand in its past, present and future,” Clayton-Orrison continued.

**Health First Board Chair Kent Smith:** “Cape Canaveral Hospital first opened its doors to our community on July 22, 1962 and was the first and only hospital to serve the beach and barrier island communities in Brevard County at the time. Since then, Cape has received numerous awards, accreditations and recognitions and was most recently named to Newsweek’s “Best Hospitals” list for the fourth year in a row, and we’re not done yet. This new project has been in the works for a long time – and it truly speaks to Health First’s vision, mission and strategy to set our community up for success today and beyond. We are focused on caring for the exact needs of our community, and this moment reminds us of that.”

The groundbreaking for the new Cape Canaveral Hospital campus comes just two weeks after ‘Newsweek’ named Cape Canaveral Hospital to its “Best Hospitals” list for 2024 – the fourth straight year Cape Canaveral has landed on the prestigious list – joining just two other Central Florida hospitals and 17 across the entire state of Florida.

“This Newsweek inclusion placing Cape Canaveral Hospital among the best hospitals in the nation and state of Florida is a tremendous honor for every one of our clinicians, associates and volunteers, and certainly kicks off what we are anticipating being a very impactful year at Health First,” said Brett Esrock, Executive Vice President and CFO/COO, Health First.

“As we are planning for and making progress toward the future of our new Cape Canaveral Hospital, this honor is reflective of Health First and Cape’s commitment to providing the best wellness and medical care for our residents and visitors today and well into the future.”

While construction takes place over the next two years, Health First officials will continue to engage with state officials in Tallahassee to determine the future of the current Cape Canaveral Hospital site at 701 W. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach, which resides in a special taxing district.

Cape Canaveral Hospital first opened its doors on July 22, 1962. It was the first and only hospital to serve the beach and barrier island communities in Brevard County at the time.

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