Capital Regional Medical Center's new ERs adding jobs to Tallahassee health care sector

Tallahassee Democrat

Capital Regional Medical Center plans to build two free-standing emergency room facilities, one in Southwood and the other in the Lake Jackson area on North Monroe Street.

Capital Regional Medical Center will soon begin construction on two new freestanding emergency rooms that will bookend the city.

The Southwood facility will be on Capital Circle Southeast and Orange Avenue and should be complete by November. The second is being built on Okeeheepkee Road and North Monroe Street near the I-10 interchange. It should be done by early 2020.

The identical, 10,800 square-foot ERs will cost Capital Regional $30 million to build and usher in 80 new jobs, ranging from doctors to technicians. The ERs will have 24 beds total and be capable of providing pediatric and adult care. They're intended to serve areas in need of around-the-clock care.

Capital Regional, a 266-bed, acute-care hospital, has more than 1,100 employees and 500 physicians. Alan Keesee, the hospital's CEO, said the construction of the two new ERs also is about convenience.

Capital Regional Medial Center will soon begin construction of its two new emergency room facilities. This picture, taken at the North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, illustrates what the Tallahassee ERs will look.

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"When you drive up there on North Monroe, there’s no emergency care services. It will be the only thing open 24 hours and 365," he said. "The new ER facilities represent our latest step to expand health care into the community."

The new facilities also mirror a growing trend of ERs popping up in areas outside traditional hospital campuses, creating what the Orlando Business Journal called a "freestanding frenzy."

For example, Florida Hospital in Orlando is building a 19,000 square-foot ER facility in Oviedo. It already has freestanding ERs in Winter Garden and Lake Mary and plans to build more in Deltona and Waterford Lakes, the news outlet reported late year.

Freestanding ERs in Florida have steadily increased. There were six in 2002; the number soared to 47 last year, a report from the Florida Association of Hospitals said.

Capital Regional Medical Center's new CEO Alan Keesee poses at his desk Tuesday. Keesee returned to CRMC, where he worked from 2013-2015 as Chief Operating Officer, after a stint in Las Vegas, Nevada as COO of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center & Sunrise Children's Hospital.

Capital Regional is part of Hospital Corporation of America, which owns and operates 185 hospitals and 119 freestanding surgery centers. In Florida, HCA opened 22 freestanding ERs from 2002 to 2018, the most of any provider in Florida, the report said.

Capital Regional's Southwood location adds to a growing health care concentration on Tallahassee's south side. The VA Outpatient Clinic opened on Orange Avenue in 2016. Care Point Health & Wellness Center on South Monroe opened in 2017.

County Commissioner Mary Ann Lindley said the area's organic evolution as a health care corridor took place without the direct role of government, which indicates a boost to Tallahassee's health care sector. That's appealing especially for retires and snowbirds who may want to settle down in the capital city, she said.

Chart showing the steady increase in the number of free-standing emergency rooms throughout Florida.

"All of this is changing the face of our community and region,” said Lindley. "When people look to retire, they look at health care and outdoor recreation."

Health care is one of four targeted industries identified in a recent study by the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality.

"Access to reliable health care is essential to the vibrancy of every community and is becoming a top priority for families when selecting a place to live and work," the study said. "Due to multiple factors, demand for health care services in the U.S. is expected to increase in the coming five-year period, most notably due to an aging population, which is even more prevalent in the Florida demographic."

The study noted more communities are transitioning from traditional hospitals to smaller primary care facilities such as urgent or outpatient care that offer more reasonable rates, shorter wait times and more convenient locations.

Last year, Capital Regional recorded more than 100,000 visits to the hospital's main campus off Capital Circle Northeast and its ER in Gadsden County. Keesee said there is an urgent need for ER services in south and northwest Leon County.

Sue Dick, president and CEO of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, praised the hospital's expansion.

"The recent announcement by Capital Regional Medical Center to construct two freestanding emergency departments will build upon a growing medical and health care sector," she said. "These projects will open the door to expanded health care options in both the south side and northwest areas of our community.”

Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story online reported the incorrect number of beds in the two ERs.