The freestanding emergency department will be open 24/7 to care for medical emergencies.

PINELLAS PARK – Bayfront Health broke ground today (March 16) on a freestanding emergency department in Pinellas Park.

The Bayfront Health ER – Pinellas Park will be located just off Gandy Boulevard on Grand Avenue, west of I-275 near exit 28. Once it is opened, the freestanding emergency center will be available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to serve patients who experience medical emergencies.

“We are committed to expanding emergency service access to meet the growing needs of Pinellas County,” Bayfront Health St. Petersburg CEO John McLain said. “Bayfront Health ER- Pinellas Park will provide faster access to emergency care for people living in the area corridor where Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg connect.”

Many emergency services can be effectively managed at freestanding emergency departments without the need for transfer to a traditional hospital setting, officials said. Like any hospital emergency department, the new Bayfront Health ER – Pinellas Park will be equipped to treat patients with illnesses and injuries that require a higher level of care than urgent care facilities offer.

The 11,000-square-foot freestanding emergency department will have a separate ambulance entrance, eight private patient rooms including pediatrics. Services will include radiology and CT capabilities as well as on-site lab services. If a higher level of care is required, patients can be transported quickly to the main Bayfront Health St. Petersburg campus or the facility of their choice.

Board-certified emergency physicians, registered nurses and other patient care providers will staff the center.

Dr. Beth Girgis, medical director for the Emergency Department at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg said, “Our team of emergency physicians are excited about all of the current projects involving emergency medicine at Bayfront Health. Between Bayfront Health’ s new free-standing emergency center and the renovations underway in the emergency department at our main campus, we will be well-equipped to handle the emergency needs of those living in and around the communities of south Pinellas County for years to come.”

The project is the hospital’s latest investment in emergency and trauma services. Last fall, the hospital began renovations at its main campus emergency department.

Construction of the Pinellas Park freestanding emergency center is expected to be completed in late 2018. The project will create new jobs, including registered nurses and positions for lab,imaging, admitting, and environmental services, hospital officials said. As the opening approaches, positions will be posted at BayfrontStPete.com.

Serving the community since 1906, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is a 480-bed academic medical center located in St. Petersburg, affiliated with USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
and the regional flagship hospital for a network of hospitals bearing the Bayfront Health name along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s Level II trauma center (Pinellas County’s only trauma center) and Bayflite (aeromedical transport program) have been serving the community for 30 years. Bayfront is certified as Pinellas County’s only Level IV epilepsy center, accredited by the Joint Commission for hospital, laboratory and also holds the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for advanced certification as a primary stroke center and in the management of heartfailure, hip and knee joint replacement.

Bayfront Health’s Baby Place is a partner in one of 11 programs in Florida designated as a Level III regional perinatal intensive care center.

Rendering of Pinellas Park emergency center courtesy of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.

Bayfront Health | Health | Medicine | Emergency Medicine | Emergency Room | Tampabay News

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