Two hospitals planned for Collier

Two companies are racing to build long-term acute-care hospitals in the Naples area, according to the health care agency that regulates the industry.

According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Landmark Hospital of Southwest Florida has applied to establish a long-term care hospital of up to 50 beds and Kindred Hospitals East has applied for a similar facility with 60 beds.

Kindred is based in Louisville, Ky., and Landmark is based in Missouri. Generally, the government considers long-term acute care hospitals as those facilities where patients' average length of stay is 25 days or longer.