Ocala Health will expand access to emergency care in Sumter County with the opening of a freestanding emergency department. The freestanding emergency department will be located in Trailwinds Village on 466A near the intersection of Buena Vista Blvd. Construction will start this fall and be completed in late spring 2020.

The new, 24/7 full service freestanding emergency department will feature 11 emergency room beds and will be capable of caring for all ages, including pediatrics. The 11,630-square-foot, one-story facility will front 466A. The freestanding ER is expected to serve more than 11,500 patients a year. The $13 million project will employ approximately 30 full-time healthcare professionals.

"While continuing to expand our Ocala Regional and West Marion campuses, we saw an opportunity to bring emergency care closer to the residents of Sumter County," says Chad Christianson, Ocala Health CEO. "We believe this freestanding emergency room will provide our patients a more convenient, higher level experience for emergent care. We will continue to expand healthcare services where needed for our growing community."

As a means to improve access to local high-quality care, this will be Ocala Health's third freestanding emergency department. Ocala Health opened its first freestanding emergency department in Summerfield (Summerfield ER) in October 2016 and is currently building a second freestanding emergency department (Maricamp ER) on Maricamp Road in Ocala which will open later this year.