South Baldwin Regional Medical Center held a ribbon cutting last Friday on their new freestanding emergency department in Gulf Shores. The more than 14,000-square-foot center provides 24/7 emergency services to those in south Baldwin County.
“Immediately after we opened the FED in mid-May, it was clear having an emergency room located south of our main campus was filling an important need. An average of more than 55 patients each day have already received the same quality emergency room care they’ve come to expect at our main campus in Foley — treatment for broken bones, heat stroke, heart emergencies and more — but in this convenient location off Highway 59 and close to the beaches,” said Eric Roach, CEO of South Baldwin Regional Medical Center.
“The addition of the FED completes another step in the city’s Vision 2025 for Sustainability, which includes providing leading-edge health care opportunities for residents and visitors,” said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft.
The FED has nine exam rooms and one major exam room, on-site lab services, diagnostic imaging for MRI, X-ray, CT with fluro, ultrasound, mammography and DEXA scan for bone density.
Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said, “Now when a medical call comes in, hopefully we’ll be at the individual’s door in 3 to 4 minutes with a paramedic and if it is an emergency, we’ll be at the ER in under 15 minutes. I have no doubt that it will save lives.”
In January, South Baldwin Regional Medical Center announced a $186 million project to expand and modernize the hospital. Plans for the expansion at the main campus include a 133,433-square-foot, four-story patient tower with a new surgical department on the first floor with a dedicated outpatient entrance.