Morton Plant Hospital

Morton Plant Hospital is a 687 bed hospital at 300 Pinellas Street in Clearwater, Florida. Morton Plant is community-based and provides services in more than fifty specialty areas. This hospital is part of the greater BayCare Health System. Morton Plant celebrated the opening of the Morgan Heart Hospital in 2006.

History

Morton Freeman Plant was the son of Henry Bradley Plant, founder of the Plant System of railroads, steamships, and associated hotels. In 1905, Morton F. Plant built a second home in the then-small town of Clearwater, Florida, near the Belleview Biltmore hotel established by his father. He maintained a mansion in New York City, New York, at the corner of 5th Avenue and 52nd Street. In 1918, while on vacation, Plant's son was injured in a car accident and required medical attention. However, there was not a hospital in Clearwater and to get the help, Plant used his railroad connections to have a surgical team brought down by rail from New York along with a special surgical car. Afterwards, Plant pledged money for the building of a hospital in Clearwater, with the city coming up with the other half.

The site chosen was one of the high bluffs, unique in peninsular Florida, overlooking Clearwater Bay. The main hospital building faces west toward the Intracoastal Waterway, the barrier islands, and the Gulf of Mexico.

The current main building, known as The Witt building, was constructed in 1966. Other buildings include The Barnard building, The Adler Building, The Sarah Walker Women's Pavilion, The Roebling Building (demolished in 2005), The Cantonis Building which houses the ER and day surgery, The Ptak Neuroscience building, The Carlisle Imaging building, the Cheek-Powell Heart and Vascular Building and The Ptak Rehabilation Center. The new Morgan Heart Building replaced the Roebling Building.

See also

• List of hospitals in Florida

References

• Morton Plant Hospital- About Us Feb. 5, 2006.