North St. Johns County has a new full-service hospital. UF Health began admitting patients at its Durbin Park campus Sept. 22, opening a 99-bed facility with a 24-hour emergency department, six operating rooms and cardiac catheterization services off State Road 9B near Interstate 95.

The five-story, 220,000-square-foot hospital sits on 42.5 acres. UF Health and University of Florida leaders held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting Sept. 17, five days before the hospital began seeing patients. Every inpatient room is private, and the facility includes two endoscopy suites and interventional radiology.

The change is immediate for families who have driven to Jacksonville for emergency, surgical or cardiac care.

"Patients who once traveled significant distances for specialty care, surgery or inpatient treatment can now receive that care here," UF Health St. Johns President Wayne Marshall said in a statement.

Mori Hosseini, chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees, called the opening a long-term commitment to the region. The hospital joins UF Health Jacksonville, UF Health North and UF Health Flagler Hospital in the system's Northeast Florida network.

Specialty clinics will open in phases

An adjacent 72,000-square-foot medical office building will add outpatient specialty services over the coming weeks, UF Health said. Planned offerings include ear, nose and throat care, general surgery, gynecology, heart and vascular services, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pain management, rehabilitation, urology and laboratory services. UF Health has not said when every specialty will be fully staffed and taking appointments.

Hospital joins a wave of county health care openings

The opening comes amid a burst of health care construction across the county. Baptist Health debuted a new emergency department the same week at its SilverLeaf campus about 10 miles south. Earlier this year, AdventHealth launched a 12-bed freestanding emergency room near State Road 207 east of I-95, and behavioral health provider Acadia Health recently opened a facility near County Road 210 and I-95.

Christine Valliere, St. Johns County's economic development director, told WJCT News, in a story republished by WUSF, that two new health care facilities opening in one week signals how quickly the county's economy is evolving. She said health care has become an increasingly important part of the local employment base, bringing jobs and investment alongside expanded access to care.

St. Johns County has grown roughly 25% since 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, according to the St. Johns Community Website.

Durbin Park expected to add jobs

UF Health is already the county's second-largest employer, with more than 1,500 local workers, according to county data cited by WJCT.

At the JAXUSA State of the Region event Feb. 13, Valliere said the Durbin Park campus would bring 2,000 new jobs to the county. UF Health has used the same pre-opening projection since it broke ground in 2024.