Florida Hospital Announces Plans For 2 New ERs

Florida Hospital is breaking ground on two new stand-alone emergency departments later this year in Waterford Lakes and Oviedo, expanding its presence on the east side of Metro Orlando, the health system announced Thursday.

“We want to be where you live, with a complete network that’s easy to access. This will lead to steady growth in the coming years,” said Daryl Tol, president and CEO of Florida Hospital, in a news release. “Our new centers in Oviedo and Waterford Lakes are just the next step in our aggressive multiyear plan.”

The Waterford Lakes emergency department, located at Colonial Drive and Lake Pickett Road, is expected to break ground in June and open in summer 2019. The health system has closed on the purchase of the 5-acre site, according to a news release.

The Oviedo facility is planned on Red Bug Lake Road near Oviedo Mall Boulevard — about a mile away from HCA-owned Oviedo Medical Center, an acute-care hospital with an emergency department.

Florida Hospital already owns that piece of property, which also houses a long-standing Florida Hospital Centra Care urgent-care center. Groundbreaking is planned for October and the new facility is expected to open in fall 2019.

“Many Oviedo residents are established patients in the Florida Hospital network and seek it out when they need emergency care, so having this option available closer to home will be a real benefit,” said Oviedo Councilwoman Megan Sladek, said in the hospital news release.

Both facilities will have 24 beds. Their design will be finalized after input from the city government and residents, the health system said.

Source: Orlando Sentinel