(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that HCA Florida Gainesville Hospital will be the city’s first new standalone hospital in 50 years.)
Drivers along Archer Road have likely noticed the ongoing construction of HCA Florida Gainesville Hospital. The new facility is set to become HCA Florida’s second Gainesville location, with doors scheduled to open in May 2026.
HCA Florida North Florida Hospital COO Mark Amox said it will be Gainesville’s first new standalone hospital in 50 years.
Amox showed off the new facility in an exclusive interview with The Sun. The four-story, 205,000-square-foot facility will feature 90 beds — 60 for medical surgical and 30 for inpatient rehab — four operating rooms, and surgical, imaging and emergency services.
The facility will bring more than 200 new jobs to the community.
“Both (North Florida and Gainesville) of these hospitals will be under the same hospital license. Think of it as a different campus but it’s an expansion of North Central Florida Hospital and doctors that are already working there, will slide over here and do work here and patients will receive exceptional care here,” Amox said.
Amox added that openings for nurses and CT technicians will be posted within the next 60 days.
Work began on the hospital in May 2024 under a contract between HCA Florida and builder Charles Perry Partners Inc., employing more than 400 construction workers. The total construction cost is estimated at $230 million.
The site currently houses a freestanding emergency department, which opened in January 2024 and handles emergencies but not surgical procedures.
Located off Archer Road near I-75, the hospital will serve patients beyond city and county limits.
“We are 19 miles from downtown Williston. So previously, you’re looking at 30 minutes or more to get from Williston to a hospital. Now, you’re pushing 20 minutes, 15 minutes by ambulance,” Amox said. “Although Shands is just down the road and we’re also down the road, on the west side is really underserved as far as when you go from here all the way out to the coast.”
As the property sits at the edge of Gainesville city limits, the hospital is currently working with the city to sell a parcel of its land to open a fire station nearby.
Amox said that what stands out from other Gainesville hospitals is that HCA Florida Gainesville will have an inpatient rehab hospital. He said the inpatient rehab hospital at Select Medical Facility is the only other one in the county.
“Often times, when they’re full, we have to send patients well outside the county to receive the next level of care when we’re ready to discharge them,” Amox said. “So we’re opening 30 beds on the second floor that’ll serve that function.”
From a procedural standpoint, the hospital will focus on spinal and orthopedic patients and will train its nurses accordingly.
Additionally, Amox said HCA Florida will incorporate advanced technology, including robotic systems for soft tissue surgeries and AI-powered, augmented reality tools for spine operations.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: New 90-bed HCA Florida Gainesville Hospital on track to open in May 2026
Reporting by Elliot Tritto, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
