ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Ascension St. Vincent’s expects to break ground this fall on a new hospital on County Road 210 at Interstate 95 in St. Johns County.
The hospital will be built on property on the northeast corner of that interchange that is part of a mixed-use development known as Fountains at St. Johns, Ascension Florida announced Friday.
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The health system said it plans to $115 million on the 150,000-square-foot hospital that will have 56 beds, including eight ICU beds. Construction is expected to begin this fall and it should employ about 600 people when the facility opens in 2022.
The hospital will offer emergency services, short-term hospitalization, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and musculoskeletal care, general surgical services, laboratory and imaging services. The facility will accommodate future expansion to keep pace with the growing community.
“Our significant investment in this wonderful community is rooted in our desire to continue creating new options for St. Johns County residents to get the care they need, with the highest quality and compassion available, right here at home, right when they need us,” Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast President and CEO Tom VanOsdol said. “Since opening our health center in St. Johns County nearly three years ago, we’ve seen a consistent increase in demand for clinically excellent and convenient care and we look forward to serving local individuals and families in this new way.”
According to Claritas Demographics, St. Johns County is the fastest-growing county in Northeast Florida. It is also currently the largest county in Florida with only one acute care hospital. Ascension said the county also has the second-highest population-to-acute-care-bed ratio in the state, meaning residents must often leave the county to receive inpatient hospital care.
“As we continue to grow and expand, we clearly have a need for additional medical care facilities, so I am thrilled that Ascension St. Vincent’s is bringing a very high-quality facility and hundreds of additional jobs to our county,” St. Johns County Commissioner Henry Dean said.