Nearly 16 months after breaking ground at a site south of St. Augustine along State Road 207 near Wildwood Drive, AdventHealth officials cut the ribbon to open a new 12-bed, freestanding emergency department.
The event was held Friday, July 10, and AdventHealth Treaty Oaks ER began accepting patients Tuesday, July 14. It is the health care system’s first such facility in St. Johns County and its northernmost location in Florida.
“For more than 20 years, we’ve had a strong presence in neighboring Flagler County, investing in the health care infrastructure with a new hospital, cancer treatment center and additional physicians,” said Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and CEO for AdventHealth in St. Johns and Flagler counties. “That same commitment to long-term health is now being extended to St. Johns County. This opening is a starting point, not a finish line. Our work here is just beginning.”
St. Johns County continues to grow rapidly, from about 130,000 to an estimated 350,000 over the past 25 years. With that influx of new residents, various hospital systems are recognizing a demand for greater access to health care.
Rob Deininger, president and CEO, AdventHealth East Florida Division, identified the overriding goal for providers: “To bring that health care into our communities, do it with an excellent level of quality, and probably most importantly, do it close to home.”
Deputy Chief Robert Snell of St. Johns County Fire Rescue said he remembered a time when the county had only one hospital for a land area of 600 square miles.
“When emergencies happen, every minute matters,” Snell said. “For first responders, this gives our crews another path to care and one more option, which helps us keep care moving when the call is urgent.”
“In the ER, people are not thinking about the building. They are thinking about a child, a parent or a spouse,” said Dr. Daniel McDermott, a medical director and emergency physician with AdventHealth. “This is AdventHealth’s first ER in St. Johns County, but the goal is familiar: Be there when families need help, stay steady under pressure and connect people to the right care quickly.”
“Today’s event is about more than just a ribbon-cutting,” said Clay Murphy, St. Johns County Commission chair. “It’s about connecting people with care.”
He said his dream was that one day, St. Johns County would become a hub for health care like other major health care centers in the region.
Lorenzo Brown, president and CEO, AdventHealth Atlantic Coastal Region, praised the physicians, nurses, technicians and others who would play a role in helping patients feel confident that they are in the best hands.
Patients who need additional care after visiting the ER will be connected to follow-up treatment through AdventHealth’s broader network, including specialty, outpatient or hospital-based care when clinically appropriate. Each of the treatment areas in the new ER is a “smart room,” with video screens that allow people to speak to specialists who are not on site. For instance, in the case of a stroke, teleneurology is available in the CAT scan room.
In November, AdventHealth opened its first St. Johns County clinic at 1000 Plantation Island Drive. It has announced plans to begin construction later this year on a second 12-bed ER in World Commerce Center.
Headquartered in Central Florida, AdventHealth operates 57 hospitals in nine states. In the Sunshine State, it has 33 hospitals, 29 freestanding emergency rooms and hundreds of clinics.
Robins & Morton, a privately held construction firm based in Birmingham, Alabama, served as the general contractor for this project, as well as another one in central Florida.
“The opening of these two emergency departments represents an important investment in the health and well-being of these growing communities,” Robins & Morton Operations Manager Angel Colon said. “Robins & Morton is proud to have partnered with AdventHealth to build facilities that expand access to high-quality emergency care and support the organization’s mission of extending healing and hope. We are grateful for the collaboration, dedication and shared commitment that made these projects possible, and we look forward to seeing the lasting, positive impact they have in the St. Augustine and Fruitland Park communities.”
