Elevating emergency care: Baptist Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital unveil plans for new, four-story ER and patient tower

Today, Baptist Health unveiled plans for a new, four-story emergency tower located on Prudential Drive in the center of its main campus for Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

Designed to dramatically improve the region’s access to advanced emergency care for adults and children, the new emergency and patient care tower, totaling 123,000 square feet, will expand the health system’s capacity to provide the highest level of care for chest pain, stroke, behavioral health crises, complex illnesses or injuries, pediatric trauma and more. The project begins in 2025 and will open in phases. Upon completion in 2029, the expansive tower will feature:

• Two distinctive emergency rooms, waiting areas and patient care rooms comprised of 100 emergency rooms in total, 63 for adults and 37 for children, including three pediatric trauma rooms on the first floor;
• Imaging, laboratory and ancillary resources to support efficient emergency and trauma services;
• A new endoscopy suite, plus expanded areas for pre- and post-operative heart care on the second floor; and
• Future expansion plans for 68 additional inpatient rooms on the third and fourth floors.

“Our main campus provides care for more emergency patients than any other hospital in the greater Jacksonville area,” said Michael A. Mayo, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “We feel strongly, and our Board wholeheartedly agrees, that it is critical to ensure we not only provide the best quality of care but also make the experience the best it can be for our patients and caregivers alike. We challenged ourselves to do more than expand and renovate what exists today – instead, we are re-imagining the entire environment of care.”

The new tower will include an enhanced arrival experience to the emergency center entrance, providing a more visible, accessible patient drop-off area that quickly guides patients and their loved ones to care.

• Adults 18+ experiencing a medical emergency will be seen in the Baptist Jacksonville emergency center, which is an Accredited Chest Pain Center and the region’s only Joint Commission-Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center.
• Children ages 0 to 18 and their caregivers will receive specialized care in the Wolfson Children’s Hospital emergency center, which features a child-centered design, and specialized equipment, clinical protocols and multi-disciplinary pediatric care teams to provide the only comprehensive Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center for our region.

“We’re fortunate to play a vital role in the care of people throughout the region. Also, we are especially grateful for the support of our generous donors who enable us to enhance and expand life-saving care and advanced treatment options for our community,” said Nicole B. Thomas, FACHE, hospital president of Baptist Jacksonville. “The new tower is a testament to our health system’s extraordinary commitment to raising the bar in 24/7 care for those facing an emergency.”

Philanthropy will play a key role in helping fund state-of-the-art technology, equipment and staffing for the emergency tower.

The new emergency and patient care tower also will expand the capacity of Wolfson Children’s Porter Family Children’s Trauma Center, the region’s only state-designated, American College of Surgeons (ACS)-verified Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. As a Level I trauma center, Wolfson Children’s Hospital offers comprehensive trauma care for all injuries, including burns, drownings, falls, motor vehicle accidents and wounds. With a 24/7 in-house pediatric trauma team, patients experience faster, direct access to specialized care during the critical "golden hour" following a severe or life-threatening trauma, when prompt medical care can significantly increase the chances of survival.

"It matters where parents take their child in an emergency and we are proud to offer children and their families the highest level of pediatric emergency and trauma care,” said Allegra C. Jaros, MBA, president of Wolfson Children’s Hospital. “As the heart of our regional network of pediatric emergency centers, this new tower continues our commitment to delivering top-decile, specialized care by offering advanced treatments and technologies in an environment designed entirely with children and families in mind. It is a reimagined space where innovation, compassion, and collaboration come together to provide seamless, life-saving care to every child in our community and beyond.”

During construction, the Baptist Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital ERs will remain open 24/7 and wayfinding signage and dedicated personnel will help ensure emergency services remain easy to locate and access.