St. Anthony's Hospital to Add Behavioral Health Rooms to Emergency Center

St. Anthony’s Hospital is expanding its Emergency Center with a focus on providing an enhanced environment for behavioral health patients.

The Emergency Center will add 13 rooms that can have a hybrid use for behavioral health patients or for general emergencies should the need arise.

“When we opened our Emergency Center in 2010, our need for behavioral health facilities was not at the level that it is now,” said St. Anthony’s Hospital President Scott Smith. “As the need has grown, so has our commitment to provide those services.”

The hospital is part of BayCare, West Central Florida’s largest provider of behavioral health, and that care is rooted in more than 50 years of community service.

Sitework for the project is underway between the Franciscan Tower, which is part of the Emergency Center, and the Medical Arts Building to improve storm water drainage. With the majority of that work complete, the Emergency Center entrance for drive-up and walk-up patients will move to the Jackson Street entrance beginning Wednesday, March 22. 

“All patients will be assessed by our Emergency Center personnel and then transported by stretcher or wheelchair to an exam room for further assessment and treatment or by electric cart to the waiting room for registration and triage,” said Tim McMahon, St. Anthony’s operations director. “There will be valet available at this entrance 24-hours a day to facilitate patient access to the center.”

To reduce congestion at the Jackson Street entrance, all non-emergency patients and visitors will be directed to the Seventh Avenue entrance. The entrance was renovated as part of the hospital’s recent addition of a 90-bed patient tower last year. 

In addition to the behavioral health rooms, the construction project will include several other features: 

• Addition of a second CT scanner and more imaging space;

• Expansion of the Emergency Center waiting room;

• Expansion of the Emergency Center vestibule to make patient and visitor security screening and access more convenient.