OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Responding to growing healthcare needs within Marion County, HCA Florida Healthcare has announced plans to open a new freestanding emergency room serving communities along the State Road 200 corridor and other areas of western Ocala/Marion County.

The $15 million 11,000 square-foot, one-story facility will be located at the intersection of State Road 200 and Southwest 99th Street Road. This freestanding emergency room will be in the On Top of the World community, and will be golf-cart accessible for residents of the area.

“This project broadens HCA Florida Healthcare’s commitment to significantly improve access to high-quality emergency healthcare services for the rapidly growing population of Marion County, especially in the State Road 200 corridor,” said Isaiah Zirkle, chief executive officer of HCA Florida West Marion Hospital. “We are excited to introduce this facility and the vital services it will provide to the families and visitors in this corner of our community.”

HCA Florida Healthcare’s newest freestanding emergency room in the county will be a full-service, fully staffed emergency room. The ER will employ approximately 45 full-time healthcare professionals, including emergency physicians, nurses and other clinicians ready to serve the community with the same capabilities as the emergency departments at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital.

The facility will feature 11 emergency exam rooms, CT scan, general X-ray, on-site laboratory services, and will be capable of caring for patients of all ages, including children.

This latest freestanding emergency room will be the sixth freestanding emergency room that HCA Florida Healthcare has opened in Marion and Sumter counties.

Since 2020, HCA Florida Healthcare has increased access and care in the area with the following expansion projects:

Added four new operating rooms to HCA Florida West Marion Hospital.

Added 36 new beds to the Neurological ICU at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.

Expanded the Cardiology Catheterization Laboratories at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital.

Added an Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit to HCA Florida West Marion Hospital.

Added 36 new Cardiovascular ICU beds to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.

Renovated and expanded HCA Florida Ocala Hospital’s emergency department by adding 13 new beds.

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