Ascension St. Vincent’s broke ground on its new hospital in St. Johns County on Friday, Dec. 4, and Bishop Felipe Estévez was there to lead the distinguished group of participants in prayer.

The facility will be located in the northeast quadrant of I-95 and County Road 210, part of a mixed-use development known as Fountains North.  

The hospital, which is expected to be completed in 2022, will be named Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Johns County. The health system is investing $115 million and creating approximately 600 new jobs with the investment in the hospital. It will be 150,000 square feet and have 56 beds initially, including eight ICU beds. The facility will include all of the services a general hospital offers, including but not limited to emergency services, hospitalization, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and musculoskeletal care, general surgical services, laboratory and imaging services, and it will be built to grow right along with the community.

“We’re excited to begin physical work on Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Johns County, which will be an important addition to the healthcare landscape in the county,” said James Machado, regional president of Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside and the new hospital in St. Johns County.

The health system based the location for Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Johns County on a data-driven analysis of where hospital services are most needed. According to Claritas Demographics, St. Johns County is the fastest-growing county in Northeast Florida. It is also currently the largest county in Florida with only one acute care hospital. The county also has the second-highest population-to-acute-care-bed ratio in the state, meaning residents are having to leave the county to receive inpatient hospital care too frequently.

The health system took all appropriate COVID-19 safety precautions at the limited groundbreaking ceremony, including social distancing and universal masking.

To learn more about Ascension St. Vincent’s, visit www.jaxhealth.com .