HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital gets OK for freestanding emergency room in Stuart

Keith Burbank, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read
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STUART — Dealing with medical emergencies here may get a little easier amid an increasingly competition health care environment.

The City Commission Monday unanimously approved construction of a standalone emergency room at 2551 S. Kanner Highway, near Southeast Monterey Road.

The $14 million facility would be built by HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital, which already has standalone ERs in Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach.

The company will open the facility by June 30, 2026, said attorney Audra Creech, who represented HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital before the commission.

"We're here for the community," said Michael Barbera, chief operating officer for HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital, following a comment by Commissioner Campbell Rich.

Competition among providers

Commissioner Christopher Collins said he hopes health care becomes very competitive in Martin County.

The most complaints Rich receives now is about the quality of medical care, he said.

Cleveland Clinic Florida operates two hospitals and a number of medical offices in Martin County. Cleveland Clinic Florida declined to comment for this story.

HCA's freestanding ER in Port St. Lucie served 17,502 patients last year, according to the company. HCA declined to say how many patients the new ER in Stuart is expected to serve. The 11,570-square-foot facility would be on about 7.2 acres between Water's Edge Dermatology and Culver's restaurant.

A rendering of HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital's proposed standalone emergency room along South Kanner Highway in Stuart. The ER may be open by late 2026, according to HCA Healthcare.
A rendering of HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital's proposed standalone emergency room along South Kanner Highway in Stuart. The ER may be open by late 2026, according to HCA Healthcare.

Previously opened emergency room

A $10 million freestanding ER opened by Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in 2019 in Vero Beach is owned by HCA Healthcare. HCA Healthcare was known as Hospital Corp. of America when it was founded in 1968.

HCA Healthcare in 2022 rebranded nearly all of its 500 medical facilities in Florida, bringing them under the name of the parent company.

Emergency room services

Patients needing to stay overnight in a hospital would be transferred from the freestanding ER in Stuart to an HCA hospital or another hospital.

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More: HCA Healthcare wants to build standalone emergency room in Stuart

Physicians, registered nurses and paramedics would staff the new ER 24/7. HCA expects patients will be able to see a doctor in an average of four minutes after arrival. The average time to discharge is expected to be 78 minutes, according to HCA Healthcare.

Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com or 720-288-6882.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: HCA Healthcare to up competition with new freestanding ER in Stuart