Staff Reports
Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is expanding access to emergency care in the Tampa Bay area with the opening of a new freestanding emergency department in South Tampa, the TGH Kennedy Emergency Center.
It’s the latest addition to TGH’s Tampa Medical and Research District and is part of the hospital system’s $550 million master facility plan, its largest plan ever.
The new emergency center is located near downtown Tampa at 1301 W. Kennedy Blvd. It boasts 15,000 square feet to serve both adult and pediatric patients with emergency care.
“At Tampa General, we work every day to provide world-class, accessible care when and where our community needs it, and the TGH Kennedy Emergency Center provides our ever-growing local population another access point to the same excellent, comprehensive care patients expect from us at our hospital,” TGH President and CEO John Couris said.
“This new facility will not only positively impact the health and well-being of our entire community, but it will help enhance our regional economy.”
Hillsborough County ranks eighth in the nation in new residents moving to the county between 2021 to 2022, according to the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council (EDC). The EDC recorded more than 25,000 arrivals — or 69 people per day — in that time period.
TGH erected the new emergency center, which opens to patients July 6, to meet new demand amid growing population. The center will be a full-service emergency department with 14 exam rooms, two trauma bays and two triage rooms. It is fully equipped with advanced laboratory and imaging services to diagnose and treat patients, including CT scans, X-rays and ultrasound machines. It also includes a dedicated ambulance entrance to streamline emergency intake.
“When patients are experiencing an emergency, they want and need care at the right time and at the right place,” TGH Executive Vice President and COO Kelly Cullen said. “Our new emergency center offers clinically excellent emergency care close to homes, schools and businesses and is provided by a team of board-certified health professionals.”
The new facility is expected to have a $31 million economic impact and is a more than $15 million investment, through construction and development, that will add more than 60 jobs to the local economy with an average salary of nearly $72,000.
“Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control tell us that across the U.S., emergency departments see more than 131 million patient visits each year and of those, only about 14% lead to a hospital admission,” Freestanding Emergency Center Medical Director Dr. Reggie Saint-Hilaire said.
“Freestanding emergency departments are an innovative solution that empower us to increase access, reduce wait times and improve the patient experience by providing the same level of emergency care that patients seek from a hospital-based emergency department.”
In 2022, Tampa General treated 132,000 adult patients and approximately 22,000 pediatric patients.
The new TGH Kennedy Emergency Center will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays.
