Baptist Health is building a new $23 million emergency center at the Oakleaf Town Center.
The new 19,000 square-foot center will offer 24/7 specialized adult and pediatric care emergency care.
When the building opens in early 2020 it will have two emergency centers. One will be for adults while the other will be a dedicated Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center for patients aged 0 to 17.
“Emergencies can happen at any age, at any time, and we have a responsibility to ensure this growing region has convenient access to our specialized care,” said Darin Roark, Vice President of Ambulatory Campuses and System Emergency Departments in an email to WJCT News.
A child-friendly entrance will be on the Wolfson Children’s side of the ER, which will have a full emergency team comprised of board-certified pediatric emergency physicians with an emergency resource group, pediatric nurses, respiratory therapists and radiologic technologists.
The Baptist/Wolfson Children's Emergency Center at Oakleaf will be the health system’s ninth emergency center in the Jacksonville area. It will also include a LifeFlight helipad.
Baptist has 8.6 acres of land at the property and is also planning to eventually build a medical office building at the site. “We’re building with room to grow,” said Keith Tickell, Vice President of Strategic Assets/Real Estate at Baptist Health.
The move is part of a continued expansion to serve the communities in Clay County and Jacksonville's far Westside. The Oakleaf area straddles the county line. Baptist Health also has a medical campus on Fleming Island that opened in 2013.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
