AdventHealth to build new ER in Belleview
AdventHealth announced it will build an $18 million freestanding emergency room in Belleview, adding its second ER facility in Marion County.
AdventHealth also operates TimberRidge ER on west State Road 200 and AdventHealth Ocala hospital in Ocala. The new ER will go up at 5934 U.S. 441 on 1.83 acres. The property includes the site of a former gas station.
AdventHealth paid more than $1.1 million for the property in September, according to Marion County property records.
The hospital company hopes to complete the 13,000-square-foot, 12-bed facility by fall of 2021
Once complete, it could be the fifth freestanding ER in the county.
Ocala Health, which operates Ocala Regional Medical Center, already has two freestanding ER facilities in the county. Last year, it opened one on Maricamp Road and Southeast 30th Avenue. It also recently expanded its ER facility in Summerfield, which opened in 2016.
In December, Shands Teaching Hospital & Clinics bought 30 acres along U.S. 27 just east of Interstate 75 for nearly $6.7 million. The Ocala City Council approved a zoning change at the time, clearing the way for a freestanding emergency room on the property. The Gainesville-based hospital, however, remains mum on its plans for the site.
In Florida, freestanding ERs do not require state approval like that needed to add more beds to an existing hospital or when opening a new hospital. The state approval process is long and complex.
AdventHealth hopes to serve patients from Belleview to The Villages.
Belleview Mayor Christine Dobkowski said the facility will give the city a boost.
"It's going to provide an opportunity for immediate health care for our citizens and the citizens in the surrounding area," Dobkowski said. "Beyond that, it's a great economic development draw. To have that type of facility in the city is great. Hopefully, it will drive other medical facilities into the city as well. We're really excited."
The facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can handle a wide range of emergency cases. The staff will include board-certified emergency medicine physicians and nurses and offer on-site X-ray, ultrasound, CT scans and laboratory services.
“The addition of AdventHealth Belleview ER is a testament to our commitment to expand and elevate the quality of the care in the communities we serve. This new emergency room will provide more convenient access for families to receive the best emergency care when they need it most,” Joe Johnson, president and CEO of AdventHealth Ocala, said in a prepared statement.
— Contact Carlos E. Medina at cmedina@starbanner.com or 234-4787.