Orlando Health South Lake Hospital to Open First NICU in Lake County
The project is expected to be completed in 2027
Clermont, FL (July 13, 2026) – Orlando Health South Lake Hospital will begin construction in August on Lake County’s first neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), creating local access to specialized neonatal care. This means families will no longer need to travel long distances for these critical, and often life-saving, services.
The Level 2 NICU will be located in the hospital’s Center for Women and Babies, which is part of Orlando Health Women’s Institute. NICUs provide round-the-clock intensive monitoring and care for newborns who may be premature, have low birth weights or other medical conditions. These new additions to the community are cared for by neonatologists who specialize in critical care for newborns.
“Our mothers and newborns here in Lake County deserve the highest level of specialized care when they face critical moments. With the establishment of this NICU, families can remain close to home where they are familiar and comfortable,” said Lance Sewell, president, Orlando Health South Lake Hospital. “This is a transformative investment in the health and future of our community and ensures that our most vulnerable patients receive advanced, life-saving care close to home so that families can feel supported and focus on what matters most.”
The 7,200-square-foot NICU will have 10 beds and is expected to go live in 2027. It will operate as a fully integrated extension of the team at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies and its nationally recognized Level 4 NICU, so that services for any level of clinical care and complexity are available to families who require it. Hospitalists and nursing leaders are trained and developed at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer and rotate between locations, ensuring consistent, expert care wherever a family is.
Orlando Health South Lake Hospital Center for Women and Babies is a Level 1 maternal care verified facility by The Joint Commission’s Maternal Levels of Care (MLC) Verification program and provides total, trusted care for women, from pre-pregnancy through post-partum care. Board-certified specialists delivering at the hospital care for both moms and babies before, during and after delivery. Nurses and lactation consultants also offer the support and resources moms need to be successful.
About Orlando Health
Orlando Health is a private not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare system with $14 billion of assets under management, that serves the southeastern United States – including Florida and Alabama – and Puerto Rico. With corporate offices in Orlando, Florida the system provides a complete continuum of care across a network of medical centers and institutes, community and specialty hospitals, physician practices, urgent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and long-term and behavioral health care services. Founded more than 100 years ago, Orlando Health’s mission is to improve the health and the quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve. The system provided nearly $2 billion in community impact in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 24, the most recent period for which the information is available. For more information, visit orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
