A freestanding emergency room facility is coming to U.S. 17 in Stafford.
The Stafford County board of supervisors voted unanimously earlier this week on three measures that will allow the HCA Healthcare ER to be built. Those decisions followed 6-0 votes by the planning commission in February.
The ER will be run in conjunction with the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center and will be similar to its stand-alone Fredericksburg ER on Route 3 in Spotsylvania County.
Besides aiding patients, the Stafford ER is expected to create 44 permanent jobs and generate about $400,000 to $500,000 in annual tax revenue for Stafford.
The operation will be different from an urgent care facility in that it will be staffed by board-certified emergency-room doctors, rather than by nurse practitioners or medical assistants, said Ryan DeWeese, CEO of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. It would be the ninth freestanding ER in Virginia operated by HCA Healthcare.
The 11,000-square-foot Stafford facility represents a $21 million investment in the community and is expected to open by 2028 with construction set to start early next year, an HCA announcement of the project said.
Once open, the ER will offer 11 emergency bays, including a trauma bay; advanced diagnostic imaging (CT, ultrasound, radiology); on-site laboratory services; and a covered ambulance entrance.
Stafford board Chairman Deuntay Diggs said he was familiar with urgent-care clinics that service some parts of his George Washington District, including Old Forge.
“And I feel fully confident that this application is going to be a good fit for that area of my district, and it butts up to Hartwood, as well,” he said of the HCA project.
On Wednesday, a day after the supervisors’ action, HCA also announced that Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center has received approval for a $16.2 million expansion and renovation of its ER.
The project will add 10 exam rooms, expanding capacity by 30 percent, and renovate the existing department to create a better environment for patients and providers, the company said. It will add about 5,400 square feet of space and create three triage bays.
“We are incredibly excited to be able to make this investment in emergency care to meet the needs of our growing community and bring the exceptional care that we offer closer to home for many patients,” DeWeese stated in the company announcement. “These projects will improve the patient experience through more convenient access and shorter wait times, allowing us to focus on the most complex, high-acuity needs.”
