MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — It’s no secret that Bradenton and greater Manatee County have experienced record growth in recent years.
“Manatee County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state of Florida,” said Dr. Christopher Bucciarelli, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Ambulatory Services for BayCare.
With more people moving to the area, there is a real push to meet their needs, and one of the most critical is healthcare.
WATCH: Manatee County experiencing healthcare boom amid population growth
It’s why, if you’re driving around Bradenton and Manatee County, you’ll notice more hospitals and medical facilities being built—like BayCare Hospital Manatee in Palmetto, which is currently under construction.
“We’re here to provide access to high-quality connected care, close to home for the people of this community,” said Bucciarelli.
He told Tampa Bay 28 that the new hospital will be a huge asset for the surrounding community.
“It’s about 436,000 square feet. It’s going to have 154 individual beds with the ability to even go up to 207 beds if the community needs it,” said Bucciarelli.
It will be a full-service hospital that’s set to open in 2028 with internal medicine, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics, and a level 2 NICU, to name a few.
“It’s really that connected care which is so important because that means that we’re able to do full wrap-around service so that we’re ensuring that they’re going to get the highest quality experience and outcome possible,” said Bucciarelli.
Just across from the hospital sits the new BayCare Health Hub.
The Health Hub will offer outpatient laboratory services, primary care, specialty care, and a range of imaging services for patients, and is set to open later this year.
This project comes with a price tag of more than half a billion dollars and is a huge undertaking.
It’s part of an effort to meet the needs of people in greater Manatee County, making healthcare more accessible.
“This county truly is growing at a significant rate and so we recognize that and want to raise, want to meet that need,” said Bucciarelli.
The same rings true for the recently opened HCA Florida North River Ranch Emergency facility just down the road in Parrish.
“In our emergency room, we offer full-service emergency care,” said Cathy Edmisten, CEO of HCA Florida South Shore Hospital.
HCA Florida North River Ranch Emergency just opened this past October and has already been in high demand.
“We’ve treated thousands of families in emergency care in just a short period of time,” said Edmisten.
Once again pointing to the need for more healthcare in the area as the population soars.
“HCA Florida North River Ranch Emergency was designed to fulfill the needs of the growing community,” said Edmisten.
HCA Florida North River Ranch Emergency is just the beginning for the community.
Both HCA Florida and BayCare said building these medical facilities in areas with limited options will save lives, and they plan to expand over the years as the population grows.
“We need to make sure that we’re meeting the needs of that community,” said Bucciarelli.
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