Ascension St. Vincent’s says that it will build a $115 million hospital in Fountains North in St. Johns County, part of a mixed-use development at Interstate 95 and County Road 210. Work is expected to begin this fall and be completed in 2022.
The 150,000-sq. ft. structure will house 56 beds, including eight intensive care unit beds, The Jacksonville Daily Record reports. It will offer emergency services, short-term care, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and musculoskeletal care, general surgical services, laboratory and imaging services.
There will be room for expansion on the campus. Chief Strategy Officer David Meyer said it could eventually accommodate up to 300 beds. It will expand as demand warrants, he said.
Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast President and CEO Tom VanOsdo said the hospital will be designed with COVID-19 in mind. Meeting rooms, offices and waiting spaces will be large enough to accommodate spacing between people.
The Fountains center will be the system’s first hospital in St. Johns County. Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine is the only full-service hospital in the county.
A news release said the system chose the hospital’s location through an analysis of where services were needed most. According to Claritas Demographics, St. Johns is the fastest growing county in Northeast Florida, the release said.
“We are so proud to be working with Ascension St. Vincent’s to bring this critical service to an area of the county where there is a huge unmet need,” St. Johns County Deputy County Administrator Joy Andrews said in the release.
“We, as a county, are aggressively pursuing balanced and measured growth and expansion of the healthcare industry in all specialties of healthcare. This new facility will serve our most populated geographic areas and play a critical role for the continued health and well-being of our community,” Andrews said.
VanOsdol said he thinks other systems may also move into the area.
“I would be speculating, but I think it’s certainly possible,” he said. “We are certainly aiming to be first and build a really strong, high-quality facility and set of services that provide access to the care that the residents and families of that area need.”
