Hospital’s new ER in Manatee County treats record number of patients

The ER at Bayshore Gardens, a standalone emergency medical facility in south Bradenton, has been booming with patients in its first eight months.

The ER, an extension of Manatee Memorial Hospital, served 100 patients for the first time in one day Dec. 27, according to a statement, and then hit that milestone again Jan. 1. The ER at 5506 14th Street West, a high-traffic area south of downtown Bradenton and Manatee Memorial, opened in April.

Hospital officials, in a statement, attribute the surge in patients and ER visits to high demand and quality of care. The ER at Bayshore Gardens is open 24 hours a day, and is staffed by an ER physician, the release states. The 10,884-square-foot facility includes six exam rooms, three rapid medical spaces, full-service laboratory, X-ray and ultrasound areas.

“The rise in volume that we are seeing at the ER at Bayshore Gardens is representative of the need in that community and throughout Manatee County,” Manatee Memorial CEO Tom McDougal says in the release.

Other factors could have played a role in the surge in patients, starting with the rapid population growth across Manatee County. Snowbird season is underway as well, which leads to more people in town. The statewide patient increase of ERs in general is something the Florida Legislature seeks to address in the upcoming session — given ERs, and urgent care facilities, tend to be higher-cost options. Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, mentions ER growth in her series of Live Healthy legislative proposals released in December. 

Manatee Memorial, meanwhile, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2024, has also broken ground on its second Manatee County freestanding ER, the ER at Palma Sola at 633 75th Street W., at the corner of Manatee Avenue. That ER is expected to open toward the end of 2024.