Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center broke ground on the newest addition to the Four Corners area: Four Corners ER. With shovels in hand, dignitaries, EMS, and local leaders from Osceola, Orange, Polk and Lake Counties joined Heart of Florida to "turn the dirt" on the northwest corner of US 192 and Avalon Road for the new freestanding emergency department.
Four Corners ER will be equipped to treat patients with illnesses and injuries that require a higher level of care than urgent care facilities offer. It will function as a department of Heart of Florida, meaning it will be a fully-operational emergency room with the immediate support of a hospital setting for any patient, 24 hours a day if needed. Many emergency services can be effectively managed at freestanding emergency departments without the need for transfer to a traditional hospital setting.
The features of Four Corners ER will include:
- Over 12,000 square feet
- Separate ambulance entrance
- On-site laboratory
- On-site radiology, including CT, x-ray and ultrasound
- Around-the-clock emergency services
- Pediatric emergency care
- Boarded emergency physicians
- 13 private exam rooms
Four Corners ER is being built from the ground up and designed to support future development. "This investment into Four Corners demonstrates Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center's commitment to offering expanded services to the area," said Ann Barnhart, Chief Executive Officer at Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center.
Thirteen miles north of Heart of Florida, Four Corners ER is located conveniently on US 192 and tucked between US Hwy 27 and FL-429. The ER is in a location surrounded by growing residential, vacation, and resort developments.
Michael McHale, MD, Medical Director of Heart of Florida's Emergency Department said, "For years, residents and visitors have had to choose which direction to travel to get emergency services - which county to travel into for care. Now, with Four Corners ER, there is no more need to travel. People in the Four Corners area will have a local place to receive quality healthcare - because emergencies can't wait."
Construction on the multi-million dollar facility is expected to be completed in spring 2018. More than 40 new jobs will be created to serve patients at the emergency room, including registered nurses and lab, imaging, admitting and environmental services staff. As the opening approaches, jobs will be posted at www.HeartOfFlorida.com.
