HCA Florida Healthcare will open a new, 11,260-square-foot freestanding emergency room in downtown Orlando in the spring. It will be one of around 30 freestanding ERs across Central Florida, with at least 19 of those opening within the last four years, reports WKMG.
HCA Florida Healthcare is investing $21 million in the freestanding emergency room, which will be near Creative Village in downtown Orlando. The facility will serve patients who currently travel to other HCA locations and is expected to create dozens of new healthcare jobs in the area.
According to HCA officials, 175,000 patients living within a five-minute drive of the downtown location visit local emergency rooms each year. Orlando City Commissioner Shan Rose says the new facility will help fill a gap in access to care.
“Typically your insurance will say, ‘Hey, you can’t go to a doctor,’ then you can’t go to urgent care,” Rose said. “This is kind of like a buffer in between. Let’s be able to serve the people who need the emergency services.”
Rose added that transportation issues in areas like Parramore make this location especially important. “Being able to walk, bike, scooter or take the bus creates access,” she said.
The downtown location will add to the 32 freestanding emergency rooms currently open across Central Florida, comprised of 14 operated by HCA, 11 by AdventHealth and seven by Orlando Health, according to their websites.
HCA is planning to add three more standalone ERs, including the HCA Downtown Emergency Room, which is set to open next spring.