New facility increases access to emergency care

Minutes can mean the difference between life or death when someone needs emergency medical care, underscoring the importance of a new state-of-the-art facility in West St. Petersburg.

City officials and first responders joined leadership from Bayfront Health and its parent company, Orlando Health, Wednesday morning to celebrate the opening of the Bayfront Health Emergency Room & Medical Pavilion – Crossroads. The $37 million project sits on a four-acre site along 66^th St. N. and encompasses 42,000 square feet over three stories.

The much-needed facility features a 14,000-square-foot emergency room, two resuscitation rooms, 12 exam rooms, multiple waiting areas and an ambulance bay. Councilmember Copley Gerdes represents West St. Pete’s District 1 and noted that having medical experts and technology nearby could save lives.

“I think it’s smart; I think it’s in the right place,” said Gerdes after the ceremony. “You’re talking about Bayfront Crossroads being able to serve Crossroads, Azalea, The Drake, Stones Throw, Jungle Prada, Yacht Club Estates, Causeway Isles, Eagle Crest, Lake Pasadena – I’m sure I’m forgetting some.

“But think about all those neighborhoods that are literally within a two or three-minute drive of an emergency room now. That’s the kind of development that we need on the west side that I’m super excited about.”

Councilmember Copley Gerdes (fourth from right) Mayor Ken Welch (fifth from right) and several officials from Bayfront Health and Orlando Health cut the ceremonial ribbon Wednesday morning.

Bayfront Health purchased the property, the former site of a Department of Motor Vehicles complex, in March 2021 and broke ground in February 2022. Gerdes said he didn’t receive a single construction complaint from residents.

He grew up on the west side and still lives just a few blocks away with his family. Gerdes credited Bayfront and city officials for their efficiency, and expects to utilize the facility himself in the future.

As a father to a 4 and 5-year-old, he relayed a “pretty good feeling that either my stress will bring me back here or one of my children.”

John Moore, president of Bayfront Health, said the Crossroads Medical Pavilion highlights the organization’s commitment to growing in a way that meets patient and community needs. The building’s doors will open to West St. Pete residents starting Monday, June 19.

Mayor Ken Welch relayed how he is a “Bayfront baby,” born at what was once known as Mound Park Hospital. The original building opened in 1923 and still houses offices and the organization’s chapel.

“For more than a century, Bayfront Health has provided access to state-of-the-art medical care in a comfortable and welcoming environment,” Welch added. “Because of the consistent and accessible quality of care that Bayfront has built its reputation on, I’m confident this new emergency facility will be just as impressive.”

Dr. Traci Ryan, medical director for Bayfront Health’s emergency facilities, previously told the Catalyst that the Crossroads Medical Pavilion would provide critical care for those living or visiting within a 10-mile radius of the site. She also expects a five or 10-minute wait time for most admissions and for staff to discharge many patients in about 90 to 120 minutes.

She told attendees Wednesday that the facility’s CT scan and X-ray machines would operate continuously and that staff would treat anyone seeking help as their family.

One of the facility’s resuscitation rooms.

“Because this is our St. Pete family,” Ryan said. “Our X-factor is our teamwork and our culture from our physicians, our nurses and our essential staff. Not just the ancillary staff – but everybody in that building.”

Ryan moved to St. Pete from Philadelphia about 10 years ago and quickly realized that city and county residents also took great pride in their home and its history. She began to “lean into” that history and Bayfront’s local legacy and noted that the company started in a five-bungalow building in 1910.

It became Mound Park Hospital, named after the adjacent Tocoboga Indian mounds, and Ryan said Bayfront and the city grew up together. While Orlando Health’s acquisition initially made her nervous, Ryan said, “They did not change us – they magnified us.”

She credited Orlando Health’s leadership team for touring every hospital and department and asking employees what made Bayfront special.

“And what they found is, Bayfront is St. Pete,” Ryan said. “The people that have worked there and continue to work there are the very heart and soul of this town. So, thank you for welcoming us to the west side.”