WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — One of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country is making sure health services are keeping pace with the rapid population growth.
Construction of a new emergency department is now underway to ensure that access to healthcare is keeping up with rapid growth.
"This is in a part of town that is underserved by the medical community," said Brad Dantzler, Mayor of Winter Haven.
The new AdventHealth Winter Haven emergency department is located on Cypress Gardens Boulevard and will include 24 patient rooms.
“It’ll have imaging services to make sure we can diagnose and treat any ailment that comes through. We'll have a helipad in the back for more of those critical issues so that we can transport you quickly to a higher level of care,” said Tim Clark, AdventHealth Polk Market President and CEO.
Winter Haven is experiencing a massive growth spurt, especially in the southeast area.
“We have 1,500 apartments that are being built right here on Cypress Gardens Boulevard between apartments and houses," said Dantzler.
Currently, health services are concentrated in the downtown area, which makes it hard for many residents to quickly access medical care.
“We build a new firehouse less than a mile from here and that handles ambulances and first responders," said Dantzler. "Now when somebody has a medical event where they need a first responder, they’ll be able to bring them here, instead of all the way downtown, which is 12 miles away with traffic lights and traffic."
The ER, which is set to open next summer, is just phase one of a long-term plan. With no signs of the population boom slowing down, the plan is to build a hospital and medical office building connected to it.
