Sarasota Memorial opens freestanding ER in Lakewood Ranch

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System opened a new 15,000-square-foot freestanding emergency room in Lakewood Ranch on Jan. 7. Located 3 miles east of Interstate 75 near Lorraine Road, the ER is expected to serve up to 150 patients each day.

The ER facility on University Parkway is the second freestanding emergency room for Sarasota Memorial, which opened one in North Port more than 10 years ago.

“By opening freestanding ERs and placing them in densely populated areas, many more people can receive emergency care in their own neighborhoods,” Dr. Reuben Holland, medical director of Sarasota Memorial’s emergency care services, says in a statement. “This is not just more convenient for patients. It also strengthens clinical outcomes and reduces congestion and wait times at hospital-based ERs.”

Board-certified emergency medicine physicians, emergency care nurses, respiratory therapists and other trained clinicians will staff the ER at Lakewood Ranch 24/7. While the team can handle most medical emergencies, it will have the ability to transfer patients to Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s trauma center if “surgical or additional care is needed,” according to a statement from the health care system. Sarasota Memorial also runs two hospital-based emergency rooms, in Venice and Sarasota. 

The ER at Lakewood Ranch has walk-in and ambulance entrances; two triage bays; 21 treatment rooms; resuscitation rooms; specialty rooms for pediatric, behavioral health and other patients requiring advanced equipment and care; five fast-track bays; a full-service laboratory; and X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI scanners. 

Community members with orders from their providers can have outpatient lab work or imaging scans completed with or without an appointment.

The ER at Lakewood Ranch is at 7250 University Parkway.