Medical office building for Panama City Beach's first hospital should open in a few months
PANAMA CITY BEACH — After much anticipation, the grand opening is right around the corner for what will be the initial piece of the Beach's first hospital.
According to William Brock, vice president of commercial real estate for the St. Joe Company, the medical office building being built in Panama City Beach as part of a larger project to establish the area's first hospital is expected to open in just a few months.
Being built on land owned by St. Joe, the 80,000-square-foot building sits near State 79 and Philip Griffitts Sr. Parkway.
"We're actually getting very close to finalizing construction," Brock said. "To get this kind of amenity ... I think is going to be a big game-changer for the entire region. I think it's going to have a lot of influence on the area because clearly the area needs more health care options. I don't think that's a secret."
According to previous reports, the medical office building will boast primary care, urgent care, an ambulatory surgery center, cardiology and orthopedic services.
The project is possible thanks to a partnership between St. Joe, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and Florida State University. Their goal is to establish a multi-faceted, full-service medical campus.
Brock said the next structure of the campus slated for construction is the first phase of the actual hospital. It will feature approximately 100 beds. He did not have a timeline as of Thursday for when it might break ground, but the hospital is scheduled to open sometime in 2027.
Future campus developments, which will be built based on demand, are three more medical office buildings and additional expansions to the hospital.
"With the partnership with TMH and Florida State, (the campus) is going to have an educational research component to it, which really is something that our area does not currently offer," Brock said. "The addition of that is going to be a huge benefit for the long term."
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Brock said Thursday the partnering groups have not yet finalized the hospital's official name, but he plans for it to be announced soon.
"For all the stakeholders in this deal, this is home," he said. "Clearly everyone has the encouragement and the want-to to really see this area flourish from a healthcare perspective. The great news for all the stakeholders is we have the ability here to really start a medical campus from the scratch.
"We have the ability to design it (and) build it in collaboration with our partners exactly how we think it's going to benefit the area not just today, but certainly tomorrow, and far into the future."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Office building for Panama City Beach's first hospital will open soon
