A drawing shows Baptist Health's planned new, four-story emergency tower on Prudential Drive. | Baptist Jacksonville, Hoefer Welker
Published on January 28, 2025 at 5:19 pm
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Baptist Health unveiled plans Tuesday for a new four-story emergency tower on Prudential Drive, in the center of its main Baptist Medical Center and Wolfson Children’s Hospital campus.
The design shows a 123,000-sqaure-foot facility designed to expand the health system’s capacity to care for chest pain, stroke, behavioral health crises, complex illnesses or injuries, pediatric trauma and more.
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Baptist officials said the estimated cost is $190 million. Philanthropy will play “a key role” in helping fund technology, equipment and staffing for the emergency tower, they said
The project, set to start construction later this year, will ultimately feature two distinctive emergency rooms, plus waiting areas and 100 emergency rooms in total — 63 for adults and 37 for children. Plans also include three pediatric trauma rooms on the first floor.
“Our main campus provides care for more emergency patients than any other hospital in the greater Jacksonville area,” Baptist Health CEO/President Michael Mayo said in a news release. “We feel strongly, and our board wholeheartedly agrees, that it is critical to ensure we not only provide the best quality of care but also make the experience the best it can be for our patients and caregivers alike.”
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The project also includes new imaging, laboratory and ancillary resources to support emergency and trauma services, plus a new endoscopy suite and expanded areas for pre- and post-operative heart care. Future plans call for 68 additional inpatient rooms on the third and fourth floors. The entire addition will open in phases, with full completion in 2029.
Baptist officials said the new tower will include a more visible, accessible emergency center patient drop-off area.
The new emergency and patient care tower also will expand the capacity of Wolfson Children’s Porter Family Children’s Trauma Center and its Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.
During construction, Baptist Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s ERs will remain open with signs and staff to help patients and emergency personnel find emergency services.
