Panama City Beach’s First Hospital Is Under Construction
St. Joe Company, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, and Florida State University are partnering on a new hospital in Panama City Beach.
“The goal is pretty simple. It’s to bring in more convenient health care services to residents on the beach,” St. Joe Commercial Real Estate Senior Vice President Dan Valazquez said. “This campus would just provide another health care option for those residents that may not necessarily want to travel 15 or 20 miles for health care services.”
But it’s going to provide much more than just healthcare. Medical students from FSU’s medical school will be rotating into this facility to get practical experience.
“The hospital will also be home to a variety of educational and research programs,” Panama City Beach Mayor Mark Sheldon said. “In partnership with FSU, it provides an opportunity for residency programs and clinical rotations for FSU medical students.”
The hospital will help keep physicians in the community during a national shortage as well.
“We know that physicians tend to remain in the communities where they train,” Sheldon said. “This truly allows us to expand our health care foundation and provide more opportunities for those medical students who want to remain in Panama City Beach.”
Construction on this first medical facility began in January 2022.
“This first medical office building will offer an array of services, including primary care, urgent care, cardiology, orthopedics, and up to five ambulatory surgery centers,” Valazquez said.
Work will continue on a 100-bed hospital and more facilities that will comprise an 87-acre medical campus.
This first medical facility should be complete and operational by the summer of 2024.
Source: mypanhandle.com
