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Area residents, local officials and business leaders were present as Ocala Health leadership held a topping off ceremony on the site of the new Trailwinds Village ER, a new freestanding ER on 466A located at 6131 Seven Mile Dr., Wildwood, FL 34785.

The new, 24/7 full-service freestanding emergency department will feature 11 emergency room beds and will be capable of caring for all ages. 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. "Over the last few years, we have seen more patients from Sumter County and Lake County choosing Ocala Health for their healthcare services. 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 has recently opened its second freestanding emergency department (Maricamp ER) on Maricamp Road in Ocala.