AdventHealth Opens First Emergency Room in St. Johns County Near I-95

AdventHealth opened its first emergency room in St. Johns County on July 14, marking the healthcare system's entry into one of Florida's fastest-growing counties. The 12-bed freestanding emergency department, AdventHealth Treaty Oaks ER, is located near State Road 207 and Wildwood Drive east of Interstate 95 in St. Augustine.

The facility offers 24/7 emergency care with advanced medical technology and a clinical team trained to handle urgent and life-threatening medical needs. Members of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners attended the opening festivities for the new facility, which represents the first of multiple planned AdventHealth locations in the county.

What's happening

AdventHealth Treaty Oaks ER is a 12-bed freestanding emergency department that opened to patients July 14 near SR 207 and Wildwood Drive, east of I-95. The facility is AdventHealth's first in St. Johns County and its northernmost location in Florida.

The emergency room is equipped with advanced medical technology and staffed by emergency medicine clinicians. It is designed to provide timely emergency care for residents, workers, and travelers in St. Johns County around the clock.

AdventHealth previously opened its first local clinic in St. Johns County in November. The health system has announced plans to begin construction later this year on a second 12-bed freestanding ER in World Commerce Center, though the county did not specify an exact timeline or location details for that facility.

AdventHealth operates 57 hospitals across nine states, including 33 hospitals and 29 freestanding emergency rooms in Florida. The system is headquartered in Central Florida and has maintained a presence in neighboring Flagler County for more than 20 years, where it has invested in a hospital, cancer treatment center, and physician network.

Access to emergency care in a growing county

St. Johns County is among Florida's fastest-growing counties, driven largely by highly rated schools and residential development concentrated along corridors like County Road 210, the SR 16/World Golf Village area, and master-planned communities such as Nocatee and SilverLeaf. Projects of this scale typically respond to population growth that increases demand for healthcare services, particularly emergency care capacity.

The new ER provides an additional access point for emergency medical services in a county where the nearest hospital emergency departments have historically been concentrated in specific areas. For residents in the western part of the county near I-95, the location on SR 207 east of the interstate positions the facility to serve both local communities and travelers along the I-95 corridor, a heavily trafficked route connecting Jacksonville to Daytona Beach and points south.

Deputy Chief Robert Snell of St. Johns County Fire Rescue noted the facility gives first responders "another path to care and one more option" when transporting patients during emergencies. In emergency medical services, transport destination choices can affect response times and hospital crowding—having multiple nearby emergency rooms allows paramedics to route patients based on availability and the level of care needed.

Patients requiring care beyond what can be provided at the freestanding ER will be connected to AdventHealth's broader network for follow-up treatment, including specialty care, outpatient services, or hospital admission when clinically necessary. AdventHealth did not specify in the announcement which hospital facility would serve as the primary transfer destination for patients requiring inpatient admission.

Impact on local healthcare market and jobs

The opening adds competitive pressure to the St. Johns County healthcare market, where providers have been expanding to keep pace with population growth. Freestanding emergency rooms—facilities that provide ER services but are not attached to full-service hospitals—have proliferated in Florida over the past 15 years, particularly in fast-growing suburban corridors where they can offer quicker access than driving to a hospital campus.

AdventHealth Treaty Oaks ER creates jobs in the local economy, including positions for emergency physicians, nurses, technicians, and support staff. Healthcare employment typically includes a mix of clinical roles requiring specialized training and hourly positions in registration, imaging, and facility operations. The announcement did not specify the number of jobs created by the facility.

The health system's expansion also represents a capital investment in St. Johns County infrastructure. Medical facilities of this type typically involve multimillion-dollar construction and equipment costs, and the property becomes part of the county's tax base. AdventHealth's commitment to a second ER in World Commerce Center signals the organization views St. Johns County as a long-term growth market worth sustained investment.

The World Commerce Center location would place AdventHealth's second ER in a different geographic market within the county, potentially serving communities along a separate corridor. World Commerce Center is a commercial development area, and freestanding ERs are often positioned at highway-accessible sites to maximize visibility and response-time coverage across a service area.

Coordination with first responders and patient flow

The facility is designed to work closely with St. Johns County Fire Rescue and other first responders who are often the first to reach patients during medical emergencies. Coordination between emergency medical services and receiving facilities is critical in emergency medicine—paramedics communicate with ER staff en route to provide patient information and prepare the team for arrival.

Deputy Chief Snell's comment about "another path to care" reflects a practical concern for EMS operations: when multiple emergency rooms are available, crews have flexibility to transport patients to the facility best positioned to provide timely care, particularly during high-demand periods when one ER may have longer wait times. This redundancy can improve overall system resilience during mass-casualty incidents or seasonal surges in emergency visits.

Dr. Daniel McDermott, a medical director and emergency physician with AdventHealth, emphasized the facility's focus on providing "steady, expert care" and connecting patients to appropriate follow-up services quickly. Emergency departments serve as front doors to the broader healthcare system, and efficient triage and discharge planning affect both patient outcomes and ER throughput.

What happens next

AdventHealth plans to begin construction later this year on the second 12-bed freestanding emergency room in World Commerce Center, though the county's announcement did not provide a specific construction timeline or opening date. Construction permitting and site preparation for medical facilities in Florida typically require several months, and building a freestanding ER from groundbreaking to opening generally takes 12 to 18 months depending on site conditions and supply-chain factors.

The health system has stated its intention to expand its presence in St. Johns County beyond emergency services. AdventHealth already operates a clinic in the county as of November, and the organization's leaders described the ER openings as a "starting point" for a longer-term commitment to building healthcare infrastructure in the area.

Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and CEO for AdventHealth in St. Johns and Flagler counties, said the system is extending the same "long-term health" investment model it has used in Flagler County—where it operates a hospital, cancer treatment center, and physician network—to St. Johns County. The specific scope and timeline of future projects beyond the two emergency rooms were not detailed in the announcement.

The opening of AdventHealth Treaty Oaks ER and the planned second facility reflect the broader pattern of healthcare systems racing to establish footholds in St. Johns County as residential growth accelerates. With the county's population growth driven by families seeking top-rated schools and relative affordability compared to coastal South Florida, demand for primary care, specialty services, and emergency care continues to rise. Healthcare infrastructure has become a key piece of the county's ability to absorb growth without straining services, and providers like AdventHealth are positioning themselves as long-term partners in that expansion. How the competitive landscape evolves—and whether additional hospital campuses follow the freestanding ERs—will shape healthcare access across Northeast Florida in the coming decade.