Orlando Health to build freestanding ER in North Lakeland off I-4 next year
LAKELAND — Orlando Health announced plans Tuesday to build a second facility in Lakeland because of the city's rapid population growth.
The health system, which is building a larger medical center off Lakeland Highlands Road just south of the Polk Parkway in South Lakeland, says it will construct a freestanding emergency room at Lakeland Park Center, just north of I-4, starting in the new year. The 20,800-square-foot facility will have 24 exam rooms with an ambulance bay, imaging suite and laboratory.
"Lakeland has experienced strong population growth over the last few decades,” said Matt Taylor, Orlando Health's senior vice present of asset strategy, in a press statement. “As a result, the demand for accessible and high-quality health care continues to grow in this area. Orlando Health is pleased to expand its presence and maintain its commitment to delivering exceptional care for the communities we serve."
The facility, once constructed, will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
According to Becker's Hospital Review, a medical trade industry magazine, Lakeland Regional Health has the second busiest emergency room in the nation.
This is the third freestanding emergency room planned north of I-4 in a little over a year. The three proposed facilities are all located within approximately 2.7 miles of each over, a roughly eight-minute drive.
Lakeland Regional Health received approval from Lakeland commissioners to add a freestanding hybrid emergency department and urgent care center to its Kathleen Campus, off Kathleen Road and I-4, in September 2022.
HCA Healthcare received approval to build a 11,570-square-foot freestanding emergency department off the northeast corner of Carpenters Way and U.S. Highway 98. The healthcare provider plans to demolish the former bank building and construct a new facility including ambulance bays, imaging and a laboratory.
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Orlando Health plans to build a new North Lakeland emergency facility
