BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Responding in large part to the impending closure of Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital, Health First says it’s fast-tracking efforts to build two new freestanding emergency departments in Brevard County.
The nonprofit healthcare company made the announcement Friday, sharing news of one confirmed site and another in progress.
Rockledge (confirmed)
- A 13,000-square-foot, 12-bed freestanding emergency department at 3300 South Fiske Blvd.
- An exact location of the facility on the parcel is yet to be determined, Health First said.
- The site’s viability has been confirmed via architectural assessments and Health First is said to be working with Rockledge officials on zoning and permitting, according to a news release.
- Discussions are ongoing with the Florida Department of Transportation to improve area traffic flow, the release states.
Southern Brevard (in progress)
- In early stages of development with more details to follow once permitting is underway, according to Health First.
Health First currently operates Brevard County’s only Level II trauma center — Holmes Regional Medical Center.
The company said Friday that freestanding emergency departments have emerged in growing areas nationwide and can deliver the same high-quality care of hospital emergency departments while relieving pressure on such facilities.
Health First described freestanding emergency departments as fully equipped, staffed around the clock and able to help reduce patients’ travel times, all conducive to faster treatment during critical moments.
“For more than 30 years, Health First has served the people of Brevard with a commitment to meeting our community’s health care needs—and that includes being ready for the unexpected,” Health First President and CEO Terry Forde said in a statement. “We’ve been planning to grow our emergency care network, and the timing could not be more critical for us to accelerate our plans. Our neighbors can count on us to step up and deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
Last month, Rockledge leaders officially moved ahead with plans to try and stop the city’s only hospital — Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital — from shutting down. Orlando Health, which took over operations at the Rockledge hospital last year, plans to close the facility on April 22. It says the hospital is in such bad shape that it would be cheaper to build a whole new facility, rather than make repairs.
Starting Monday, April 7, Brevard County Fire Rescue will no longer be allowed to transport patients to Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital.
Dr. Saima Abbas, MD, an infectious-disease physician at the hospital and a speaker a recent special meeting, claimed that closing the hospital would leave upwards of 900 people jobless.
About 55 patients enter the hospital each day via ambulance, all on top of walk-ins and other appointments, she said.
News 6 asked a public relations employee with Health First if wait times at its closest hospitals to Rockledge will increase once the building closes. That would include its hospitals in Cocoa Beach and Viera.
“I think people can expect longer wait times, and one of the things we’re challenged with right now is it’s still technically flu season, so things are naturally really busy right now, anyway,” Lance Skelly said. “It’s not an easy process. This is not something that we were expecting. I don’t think anyone expected this.”