MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — (Note: The video above is from a related story.)
Orange Park Medical Center announced plans Tuesday for a new, freestanding emergency room coming to Middleburg.
Located at Blanding Boulevard and Everett Avenue, the new ER will serve residents in the southwest portion of Clay County, including Middleburg, Lake Asbury, Green Cove Springs and Penney Farms. The facility will cost $14.4 million, the hospital said in a news release.
The hospital purchased the land for the new ER in March, 4.6 acres at a cost of $3.8 million, the release says. The new facility will be 10,820 square feet and will include 11 patient rooms with on-site imaging and lab services.
"By bringing this new ER to the Middleburg area, we'll be able to meet the community's growing need with the same high level of care that we offer at our main hospital," Emergency Services Medical Director Dr. Steven Goodfriend said in the release. "Essentially, we are bringing Orange Park Medical Center, including our specialty care, closer to patients."
The new facility will be the hospital system's third freestanding ER. The hospital's existing ERs, Park West ER on 103rd Street and Normandy Park ER on Normandy Boulevard in Jacksonville, treated more than 60,000 patients last year, the release says.
"Immediately after we opened our Park West ER, it was clear that having an emergency room close to people’s homes was in great demand," Goodfriend said in the release. "We quickly expanded the space by 3,100 square feet."
The new ER will be open 24/7 and provide care from board-certified doctors, nurses and staff, the release says, including round-the-clock radiology services. Specialists including maternity, stroke, advanced cardiovascular, neurology and surgical care will be available.
The new facility's groundbreaking is expected in the spring of 2022.