Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center

While the hospital was still owned by HCA, the building was surveyed for possible renovations by independent contractors. Due to deteriorizations, it was determined that it would be better to build a new hospital than to renovate SWFRMC, so HCA began to construct expansions to Gulf Coast Hospital with plans to merge the facilities. When Lee Memorial Health System took over the hospital, they surveyed the SWFRMC facility for possible reuse as well, only to come to the same conclusion as the contractors hired by HCA.^[4] LMHS continued the expansions to GCH as planned by HCA. When expansions were finally completed in March 2009, all patients, staff, and equipment were transferred to the new Gulf Coast Medical Center. Lee County paramedics treated the transfer of patients as an emergency evacuation drill.^[1] As a final farewell to the facility, staff members signed their names and start dates on the interior walls of the hospital in permanent marker before leaving, and some left hand prints in colorful paint.^[1] The building was demolished in November 2009 to make way for a new distribution center for medical supplies.^[5]