CHARLOTTE COUNTY – AdventHealth plans to expand its footprint in Charlotte County, with a new free-standing emergency department off Jones Loop Road, west of Punta Gorda Airport.
The proposed facility will be the first major undertaking by the West Florida division of AdventHealth since the Seventh-Day Adventist nonprofit healthcare system purchased the existing 254-bed Port Charlotte hospital at 200 Harbor Boulevard and a closed hospital campus from Community Health Systems Inc. in March for $265 million.
Along with the two former ShorePoint Health hospitals, AdventHealth also purchased an existing free-standing emergency room in Cape Coral.
AdventHealth is still working with the community on plans for the former Punta Gorda hospital. Adam Johnson, president/CEO of AdventHealth Port Charlotte, said in a prepared statement that they wanted families in Punta Gorda and surrounding areas to feel confident that help is close by during an emergency.
“This new emergency department is the first step in a long-term commitment to bringing more health care services back home to this community,” he added.
The new facility – which will be located on the southeast corner of Jones Loop Road and Mac Ever Street – is roughly equidistant from Jones Loop Road’s I-75 interchange to the east, and U.S. 41 to the west.
AdventHealth hinted that future expansion phases – based on community needs – may include medical offices and a full-service hospital.
What may the Punta Gorda free-standing ER look like?
An AdventHealth spokeswoman said plans for the Punta Gorda facility have not been finalized, but it may be similar to a $23 million facility it opened last November in Hillsborough County.
According to hospitalmanagement.net, that free-standing ER is 13,379 square feet and features 12 treatment rooms, lab services and medical imaging services like X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans and ultrasounds.
Free-standing ERs have proliferated in recent years as hospital systems attempt to bring care closer to residents.
Most recently, Healthcare Corporation of America opened free-standing ERs in west Port Charlotte, Wellen Park and near the city of Venice, to bring care closer to expanding population centers in south Sarasota County and North Port than existing campuses in Port Charlotte, Englewood and Sarasota.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: AdventHealth to expand healthcare to Punta Gorda with free-standing ER
Reporting by Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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