Key points:
- • Orlando Health is expanding rapidly across Florida and beyond while keeping complex care centralized at ORMC.
- • Strategy focuses on mission-driven growth, seamless care networks, and expanding access through new facilities and telehealth.
- • Workforce culture, AI integration, and proactive community-based care are key priorities for long-term success.
March 2026 — In an interview with Invest: Kelly Nierstedt, president of Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) and senior vice president of the Orlando Region, discussed Orlando Health’s rapid expansion and mission-driven growth. Over the past year, the health system has added new hospitals, expanded specialty institutes, and increased access points across Central Florida. “This is about bringing advanced care closer to where people live while keeping downtown as the destination for the most complex cases,” said Nierstedt.
What have been the most significant milestones and changes for Orlando Health over the past year?
It has been a year of tremendous growth. We purchased five hospitals in Alabama, our first expansion outside Florida and Puerto Rico, and three hospitals along Florida’s Space Coast. In one of those markets, we decided to sunset the existing hospital and build a new facility in Viera.
Closer to home, we opened a freestanding emergency department in Waterford Lakes on the east side of Orlando, serving a community that has long wanted Orlando Health services.
We have also grown our specialty institutes: We opened a brand new, state-of-the-art expansion for the Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute downtown and brought services to the Tampa market. And the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, whose primary offices are in downtown Orlando, now has a presence on both the east and west coasts of Florida. All of this is about bringing advanced care closer to where people live while keeping downtown as the destination for the most complex cases.
As Orlando Health expands its footprint, what is the broader strategy for sustaining the system’s leadership?
When we look at opportunities to grow, Orlando Health does not grow just for the sake of growing. We are drawn to our mission to improve the health and quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve. If we do not believe we can live that mission in a given market, we will not go there. That is our true north.
ORMC is the hub of the system and the foundation of our history; this is where Orlando Health began more than 100 years ago. We expect ORMC to remain the destination for higher-level tertiary and quaternary services, while our community hospitals provide excellent care close to home.
Not every community facility can or should offer the most complex services. Our focus is on building the infrastructure that connects those local settings to ORMC so patients can move seamlessly when they need that higher level of specialization, especially as traveling into downtown becomes more challenging.
How is this demographic shift influencing demand for emergency, trauma, and specialized care, and how are you responding?
ORMC is the only Level One Trauma Center for adults in Central Florida, and Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is the only Level One pediatric trauma center. The aging population adds new layers of complexity. Older adults need care that is designed specifically for their physiology and risks. We are developing programs geared toward older adults so that emergency, trauma, and inpatient services reflect best practices in geriatric care. These efforts are underway not only at ORMC but across the facilities where we care for patients.
What are the biggest industry-wide challenges you see in Central Florida’s healthcare landscape, and how are they affecting Orlando Health?
Workforce remains the most significant. Coming out of COVID, it became clear that we could not treat today’s workforce the way we did 20 or even five years ago. One of the most important things we have done is focus on culture and becoming a best place to work. When you create an environment where people want to be, you are better positioned to recruit and retain talent, and we are fortunate to have a strong pipeline of people who want to join the Orlando Health family.
During COVID, many systems relied heavily on temporary traveler staff. Orlando Health made a commitment early on that long-term dependence on travelers was not aligned with our culture. We instead focused on attracting and retaining permanent team members, and today, on our downtown campus, we have zero travelers. Understanding what makes a workplace meaningful for different age cohorts and backgrounds has been essential to sustaining that progress.
How is Orlando Health leveraging AI while preserving the human side of medicine?
AI is here — there is no way around that. At Orlando Health, we see AI as a tool to support our work, not a replacement for the human relationships at the heart of medicine. Clinically, AI supports diagnosis and screening across multiple specialties, helping clinicians identify and, in some cases, assist in diagnosing conditions more efficiently. But it is never the sole basis for care.
Operationally, AI helps improve efficiency in areas like the operating room by showing how supplies are used and where costs can be managed responsibly. AI gives us data; our people translate that into patient-centered decisions. That human touch will always be essential.
How are you strengthening community partnerships and expanding access to care across the region?
Access is one of the biggest challenges for healthcare systems as populations grow, and patients want to be seen quickly. Orlando Health has been intentional about placing access at the center of our strategy. Beyond expanding hospital footprints, we are adding freestanding emergency departments, urgent care centers, primary care practices and specialty clinics in the communities we serve.
We’ve extended hours beyond the traditional 9-to-5 model and now see patients in the evenings, on weekends, through telehealth and, in some cases, in the home. Telehealth proved its value during the pandemic. While it is not appropriate for every patient or circumstance, it works well for wellness checks, follow-ups and certain chronic care visits. Remote-monitoring devices—tracking blood pressure, blood sugar or cardiac rhythms—are another way we are closing access gaps, especially for patients with transportation barriers. Most people have a phone, and that connection enables us to reach more people where they are.
Looking ahead three to five years, what are Orlando Health’s top priorities?
Orlando Health has been part of this community for more than 100 years, and our priority over the next three to five years is to continue expanding care where we can make the most meaningful difference in a community’s health. We want to be the provider of choice, which means being proactive rather than reactive. Orlando is growing quickly, so we are evaluating where future growth will occur and establishing a presence ahead of that curve rather than waiting for communities to become healthcare deserts.
We also want to remain cutting-edge in how we care for diverse populations. Central Florida has a large Hispanic community, and our work with hospitals in Puerto Rico is one example of how we strive to better understand and serve that population here. Every decision we make is guided by our mission and our commitment to improving the health and quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve.
Want more? Read the Invest: Greater Orlando report.
