Orlando Health, which acquired Florida Medical Clinic (FMC) last August, continues to expand its presence in Pasco County.
Construction began earlier this year on a 300-bed hospital at 3000 Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, according to Orlando Health’s Media Relations Manager Sandra Bentil.
The facility, which is known as Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, is reportedly anticipated to be completed and ready to serve patients in early 2025.
The multistory hospital is going to be one of the anchors of the Wiregrass community that is being developed by J.D. Porter. It reportedly will be the largest hospital in Wesley Chapel when it is completed.
A wide range of health care services, including emergency and inpatient care, are going to be offered at the hospital.
Physicians from FMC, which was rebranded as Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health on May 1, will be among the professionals providing health care services at the new hospital.
Orlando Health also will build a freestanding emergency room at the intersection of State Road 54 and Henley Road in Lutz.
The plan to construct the 10,865-square-foot facility was announced last December by Matt Taylor, senior vice president of Asset Strategy for Orlando Health.
A groundbreaking hasn’t occurred yet at that site, Bentil said.
The ER will have 10 exam rooms, an imaging suite, lab and ambulance bay, according to Taylor.
The property for the Lutz ER was purchased from LIV Development.
That company is currently involved with the construction of Livano Sunlake, a 234-unit luxury multifamily and mixed-use development also located in Lutz, Taylor said.
The decision to build the ER in Lutz was driven by the tremendous population growth that Pasco County has experienced in the last decade, and also by the desire to provide a convenient location to meet patients’ needs for emergency care, Taylor said.
Pasco County’s population in 2022 was 608,794, a nearly 31% increase from the 465,516 who lived there in 2010 according to USAFacts.org. For comparison, the population of the United States grew 7.7% and Florida’s population grew 18% during that period.
“The demand for convenient access to a wider range of choices in health care services has been increasing and continues to grow in this area. Orlando Health is pleased to expand its presence to serve this community and address their health care needs,” Taylor said.
A freestanding ER is simply an emergency facility that’s not physically attached to a hospital, according to Orlando Health’s Media Relations Department. The purpose of a freestanding ER is to provide the same level of care and services as are available at traditional hospital-based emergency rooms, to be staffed by board-certified emergency medicine doctors and nurses who are certified in advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support.
The Lutz ER will be the seventh one operated by Orlando Health. The other six are located in Leesburg, Clermont, Kissimmee, Lake Mary, Orlando and Davenport.
At last report, the not-for-profit health care organization has $9.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico.
More information about Orlando Health can be found at OrlandoHealth.com.
Published May 15, 2024
