The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has approved HCA's certificate of need to build the 85-bed West Jacksonville Medical Center.
"We are very pleased with the state's decision and have been delighted with the reception and support we have received from the Westside community," said Jim Wood, president/CEO of Memorial Hospital, in a media release. "The residents of the Westside are very anxious to improve their access to care in this growing community."
Services at the 85-bed, three-story, acute-care hospital and an adjacent 200,000 -square-foot medical office building will include an emergency department, cardiac cath lab, obstetrical unit, operating rooms, ICU, medical/surgical unit, and extensive diagnostics services, including MRI and CT scan.
The location in western Duval County has yet to be finalized. Construction will cost between $100 million and $130 million and will provide an estimated 250 people with jobs during the two-year building phase. Once completed, HCA estimates that 800 people will be needed to staff the hospital, which will generate approximately $60 million from in local payroll and benefits.
HCA said its private, for-profit status means that Duval County residents will not see their taxes rise to fund the project. HCA expects to pay an additional $1 million in property taxes and $1.7 million in sales tax each year related to West Jacksonville Medical Center.