BayCare announced Dec. 5 that it will build a freestanding emergency department in the south Lakeland area to complement its other two hospital emergency rooms in fast-growing Polk County. The new facility will also include a special focus on providing emergency care for children.
Construction on the freestanding emergency department at 5501 S. Florida Ave. will begin in 2025, with an anticipated opening in late 2026.
“As Polk County becomes a more and more popular place to call home, we want to ensure BayCare’s unmatched clinical excellence is accessible for the community, including its youngest residents,” said BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners. “BayCare is always looking for new opportunities to provide patients care where, when and how they need it, and this investment in a new freestanding emergency department is no exception.”
The new, 12,000-square-foot facility will house 12 emergency care beds, plus three “fast-track” rooms for patients who require less-acute care. While BayCare’s expert clinicians and team members will serve patients of all ages, a special focus of the Lakeland facility will be pediatrics, with a direct connection to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa.
Patients at the facility will have access to diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, hospital transfers (if hospital admission is necessary for a particular medical condition) and integrated patient admission to a BayCare hospital. BayCare’s other freestanding emergency department is Bardmoor Emergency Center, affiliated with Morton Plant Hospital, in mid-Pinellas County.
“BayCare led the way in West Central Florida by opening Bardmoor as Florida’s third-ever freestanding emergency department 16 years ago, and we’re eager to bring the same exceptional patient experience to Polk County,” said Chief Ambulatory Services Officer Todd Jones.
Sarah Naumowich, president of BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Children’s and St. Joseph’s Women’s hospitals, is excited that children needing emergency care in Polk County will now be able to get it closer to home.
“Families can rest assured that when they come to the Lakeland freestanding emergency department, they are linked directly to the exceptional care at St. Joseph’s Children Hospital, should their child need it.”
The Lakeland freestanding emergency department will have its primary affiliation with Bartow Regional Medical Center, one of three BayCare hospitals in Polk County. Bartow Regional Medical Center earlier this year announced plans to expand its capacity from 72 to 90 beds, adding another cardiac catheter lab and two operating rooms in addition to increasing its own attached emergency department.
BayCare currently has two other hospitals in Polk County, Winter Haven Hospital and Winter Haven Women’s Hospital. Winter Haven Hospital also has an emergency department, while Women’s Hospital offers obstetrical urgent care.
Provided by BayCare