Andrews opens this week
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News A grand opening for Andrews Institute is scheduled for March.

The final preparations are made, the Medjool palms are blowing in the breeze and the patients will be arriving soon.

Andrews Institute is opening this week on the campus of Gulf Breeze Hospital, with imaging and physical therapy rehabilitation departments relocating to occupy the facility.

Bob Harriman, administrator of both Gulf Breeze Hospital and the Andrews Institute, said the surgical center is expected to open in February, depending on Dr. Jim Andrews' schedule. Dr. Andrews is a world famous orthopaedic surgeon specializing in correcting athletic injuries. He is lending his name and reputation to the facility, which is expected to draw professional and amateur athletes to Gulf Breeze for surgery and performance enhancement.

The impact on Northwest Florida and Gulf Breeze will secure the area as a cradle for musculoskeletal treatments and research. The Institute is comprised of several divisions including: Multi-specialty Ambulatory Surgery Center, Outpatient Rehabilitation, Diagnostic Imaging Center, Athletic Performance Center, a Research and Education Institute, and a multi-specialty office park for physicians.

According to Harriman a grand opening is tentatively set for March, when the Performance Center and Research and Educational Institute is scheduled to be complete.