PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare presented its current and future plans for the Panama City Beach Medical Campus at the Bay EDA meeting Wednesday.
The project is located just minutes from the Latitude Margaritaville Watersound community and is on schedule with the original construction plan.
So far, primary and emergency care facilities opened in July. Primary care is accepting new patients and emergency care is open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm.
A new cardiology practice and surgery center will open in September, and additional departments will open towards the end of the year.
At the meeting, TMH representatives explained their decision to choose Bay County and the potential it offers.
Andrew Starr, TMH’s chief health operations officer, said, “The reality is there’s a geographic gap where we’re located as far as having a hospital, let alone a true healthcare campus. So I think there’s already an immediate opportunity here. Moreover, I think what we’re trying to do there is different and unique. When you think about our short-term and long-term plan, especially working with Florida State and other organizations, I really think we can be a regional destination. I think there’s a lot of opportunity here and I think there’s a lot of interest.”
Becca Hardin, president and CEO of Bay EDA, said, “When you think about 1,000 new jobs coming to the region, you have to consider the economic impact of those jobs. People are going to buy homes and cars, kids are going to go to school, there’s going to be more money in the banks. It’s just a huge economic ripple effect when you see a lot of new jobs coming into your community.”
TMH officials said groundbreaking for the 180-bed hospital is scheduled for January 2025.
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