A new emergency room is set to open in Tallahassee’s Southwood neighborhood. But It won’t have a hospital attached to it. ERs that stand alone are becoming more common.
The Southwood Emergency Room is slated to open early November. It stands at the corner of Capital Circle Southeast and Orange Avenue. And it’s not the first of its kind. There’s already one off Capital Circle Northeast. And another ER is planned to open near Lake Jackson. Keesee says he wants people to have quick access to care.
“In a life-saving event or emergency that’s the most important thing, getting access to board certified emergency physicians and nurses as quickly as possible,” Keesee says.
The Southwood ER has beds, x-ray machines, and a place for children to stay. But it doesn’t have a surgery center.
“But one of the great things about this emergency room is that it’s on a major thoroughfare. Capital Circle Southeast,” says Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey.
Dailey is standing outside Southwood ER’s double doors.
“It is a needed facility on the southeast side of Tallahassee and I’m proud to be here for the ribbon cutting,” Dailey says.
For many people living in Southwood, the nearest emergency room is about fifteen minutes away. Peter Bull lives off Paul Russell Road. He says if he needs to – he’ll go to the Southwood ER.
“The other one--at least at Tallahassee Memorial--is always real busy. Any time I have had to go there’s been a long wait line, so the more ERs in this area the better,” Bull says.
Bull says seniors like him often need ERs close by.
