The following information comes from a March 3, 2024, article in the Naples Daily News.

Founded in 1953, the first modern medical facility opened on Fourth Street South in March 1956 with the name Naples Community Hospital. The hospital’s first baby was born the next day.

Ten years later, in 1966, the hospital added 50 more beds, an emergency department and several specialized departments. Later that decade, several more departments were added including an intensive care unit.

In 1970, the hospital expanded the original building to six stories and began construction on a new, two-story building next door. This building was later expanded to six stories and was dubbed the “South Tower” while the first tower was called the “North Tower.”

Construction on the Downtown Naples facility continued in the 1980s and on Oct. 15, 1984, The North Collier Health Center opened its doors. This facility was opened as a satellite facility of the main hospital. Shortly after, on Feb. 4, 1985, another satellite facility, which included a helipad, was opened on Marco Island.

In January 1990, North Collier Hospital (the North Naples campus) opened with 50 beds at its location on Immokalee Road in North Naples. The healthcare system, as well as the local population, continued to grow during this decade.

NCH was the only hospital in Collier County until 2001.

NCH, Nicklaus announce Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children

The four-story, 156,000-square-foot center will offer advanced care for families and be housed on the NCH North Hospital campus.

In February 2007, the system expanded once again with the opening of the $64 million Jay & Patty Baker Patient Care Tower at the North Naples hospital.

In 2020, NCH purchased a 186,000 square foot office building on Immokalee Road to relocate some of its administrative support and non-clinical functions which it expects to complete in spring of 2021.

NCH also started a $35 million renovation and expansion of its Baker Hospital emergency room with a two-story, 19,000 square foot addition to expand its emergency room capacity to 47,000 square feet, with expected completion in February 2022.

In 2023, a rebrand changed what NCH stands for, becoming Naples Comprehensive Health. 

Information gathered from the Naples Daily News archives, Wikipedia, Collier100.org and Collier County Museum archives.

A so Florida thing is coming up — amid spring break season. A rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled to lift off this weekend.

SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit on Sunday, March 22.

Rockets here launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and people in and around Brevard County usually have the best chance at seeing this phenomenon in the sky.

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast is sometimes visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as West Palm Beach.

When there’s a nighttime launch window or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo.

Below is more information on the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions on where to watch it in person (or virtually via the USA TODAY Network’s Space Team).

Is there a launch today? NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin rocket launch schedule in Florida

For questions or comments, email USA TODAY Network Space Reporters Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com, Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or Eric Lagatta at elagatta@usatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.

Is there a rocket launch from Florida today? Next launch is Sunday, March 22, SpaceX Starlink 10-62

• Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
• Launch window: 10:43 a.m. to 2:43 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22.
• Trajectory: Northeast.
• Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
• Sonic booms: No.
• Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.