Tampa General Hospital Expands Emergency Care with New, Freestanding Emergency Department

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Jun 15, 2023, 20:50 ET

TGH Kennedy Emergency Center in South Tampa expands the footprint of the academic health system's growing Medical and Research District.

TAMPA, Fla., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) today announced it is expanding access to its world-class emergency medical care services in the Tampa Bay area with the opening of a new, freestanding emergency department, the TGH Kennedy Emergency Center.

As the latest addition to the Tampa Medical and Research District, the new emergency center is also a key component of Tampa General's $550 million Master Facility Plan, the largest in the hospital's history.

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) celebrated its expansion of access to its world-class emergency medical care services in the Tampa Bay area with the ribbon-cutting for a new, freestanding emergency department, the TGH Kennedy Emergency Center. As the latest addition to the Tampa Medical and Research District, the new emergency center is also a key component of Tampa General’s $550 million Master Facility Plan, the largest in the hospital’s history.

Located close to downtown and in the heart of Tampa at 1301 W. Kennedy Blvd., the TGH Kennedy Emergency Center is a state-of-the-art, 15,000-square-foot facility, which will provide adult and pediatric patients in the surrounding areas with high-quality and convenient emergency care as Tampa General continues to focus on its rich history of academic medicine and research.

"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," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. "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."

According to the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council (EDC), Hillsborough County ranks No. 8 in the nation in new residents moving to the county between 2021 to 2022. The Tampa Bay EDC also recorded a total of 25,172 arrivals or 69 people per day in that time period.

The projected economic impact of the TGH Kennedy Emergency Center is $31 million to the broader economy and also represents a more than $15 million investment in construction and development, along with adding more than 60 jobs with an average annual salary close to $72,000.

Built to support the health care needs of the rapidly growing Tampa population, the freestanding emergency center is a full-service emergency department and has 14 exam rooms, two trauma bays, two triage rooms and is fully equipped with dedicated, advanced laboratory and imaging services needed for diagnosing and treating patients, including CT scans, X-rays and ultrasound capabilities. The facility also features a dedicated ambulance entrance to streamline patient intake brought in by emergency medical services.

"When patients are experiencing an emergency, they want and need care at the right time and at the right place," said Kelly Cullen, executive vice president and COO of Tampa General. "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 TGH Kennedy Emergency Center is staffed by a coordinated care team of board-certified physicians, and hospital-trained nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and paramedics. TGH's freestanding emergency department is fully equipped to manage medical emergencies and provide hospital-level care, with the ability to seamlessly transfer patients to Tampa General's Level I trauma center if needed.

TGH's newest emergency center will be a great choice for patients experiencing broken bones, abdominal pain, severe back pain, poison or medical overdose, shortness of breath as well as fainting, dizziness or weakness. Emergency care is recommended for chest pain, difficulty breathing, loss of vision, severe abdominal pain or uncontrolled bleeding. It is best to call 911 for persons experiencing life-threatening conditions including chest pain, stroke symptoms or loss of consciousness.

"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," said Dr. Reggie Saint-Hilaire, medical director of Tampa General's freestanding emergency centers. "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. "Our team makes our care so special," said Michele Moran, senior director of Emergency, Trauma and Transport Services, Tampa General. "On behalf of the entire team, we are so excited to welcome our neighbors to our newest emergency center."

With the addition of the emergency center, the Kennedy Boulevard location is becoming a key connection for health care near downtown Tampa with the TGH Rehabilitation Hospital and the planned TGH Behavioral Health Hospital. Opened in May 2022, the TGH Rehabilitation Hospital provides comprehensive care for patients recovering from debilitating injuries, illnesses, surgeries and chronic medical conditions. The TGH Behavioral Health Hospital is scheduled to begin construction this summer and, when complete, will offer a full range of inpatient and outpatient services led by psychiatrists from USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. The TGH Rehabilitation Hospital is a partnership with Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services. The TGH Behavioral Health Hospital is a partnership with Kindred Behavioral Health. Both Kindred entities are business units of Lifepoint Health.

The freestanding TGH Kennedy Emergency Center will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. It is scheduled to begin caring for patients on July 6.

For more information about the TGH Kennedy Emergency Care Center and all emergency care provided by Tampa General, visit https://www.tgh.org/institutes-and-services/emergency-and-trauma-center.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system,, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.