UF Health is one step closer to opening its newest freestanding emergency room, which will soon provide convenient access to high-quality health care in Wildwood and surrounding communities as the demand for services continues to grow.
Health officials and local community and government leaders celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and open house for the UF Health The Villages® Hospital Freestanding E.R., slated to open in early February.
“This is a special day for UF Health and The Villages® and I am especially proud of the team of dedicated professionals and construction partners responsible for bringing our vision to fruition by making this center a reality for our community,” said Don Henderson, CEO of UF Health Central Florida. “Area residents will now have access to the fast, efficient, advanced medical care they need close to where they work and live.”
The modern, 25,000 square-foot facility will be open 24/7 and will feature a full complement of staff, including physicians, nurses and patient care technicians, and will be equipped with 16 beds, two of which will be situated inside state-of-the-art trauma bays. To allow for future expansion, the facility contains additional space that eventually will accommodate a total of 24 beds.
The UF Health The Villages® Freestanding E.R. will feature laboratory, pharmacy and respiratory therapy services as well as the latest diagnostic imaging technologies.
In 2019, more than 80,000 patients visited the emergency rooms at the facilities now known as UF Health The Villages® Hospital and UF Health Leesburg Hospital.
About UF Health The Villages® Hospital
UF Health The Villages® Hospital, formerly known as The Villages® Regional Hospital and acquired by University of Florida Health in January 2020, has been serving residents of The Villages® as well as patients in Lake, Sumter and Marion counties since 2002. At UF Health The Villages® Hospital, we are committed to providing the community with leading-edge patient care, clinical training and research programs. Our teams of physicians and clinical staff work together to offer specialty services, advanced technology and clinical studies — bringing world-class health care closer to you and your loved ones.
About UF Health Central Florida
UF Health Central Florida, formerly known as Central Florida Health and acquired by University of Florida Health in January 2020, is an award-winning, locally owned and governed not-for-profit health care system and the largest, most comprehensive provider of health care services in the region. We care for patients in Lake, Sumter, and Marion counties through inpatient acute hospital services at UF Health The Villages® Hospital and UF Health Leesburg Hospital, inpatient rehabilitation services at UF Health The Villages® Hospital Rehabilitation Hospital, adult inpatient psychiatric services at the UF Health Leesburg Hospital Senior Behavioral Health Center and diagnostic laboratory services at several locations. As a premier health care provider, UF Health Central Florida takes pride in providing progressive, innovative technology, along with building strong relationships with patients, families, physicians and residents of the communities we serve. To learn more, visit www.CentralFloridaHealth.org.
About UF Health
With main campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville, UF Health includes six health colleges, nine research centers and institutes, 10 hospitals, including two teaching hospitals and five specialty hospitals, and a host of physician medical practices and outpatient services throughout North Central and Northeast Florida. Our mission is to promote health through outstanding and high-quality patient care, innovative and rigorous education in the health professions and biomedical sciences, and high-impact research across the spectrum of basic, translational and clinical investigation.
