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Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) plans to open two new Freestanding Emergency Departments over the next 24 months – one at U.S. Highway 17 and CR 540 in the Winter Haven area in mid-2027 and one on U.S. 98 North at Marcum Road in early 2028. The new locations will be the second and third Freestanding Emergency Departments for LRH. The organization’s first Freestanding Emergency Department opened in March 2025 at 6150 S. Florida Ave., off CR 540A. LRH’s Freestanding Emergency Departments provide the same expert emergency care as Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center’s Emergency Department. “We are proud to bring our lifesaving emergency care closer to patients of all ages in Winter Haven and North Lakeland,” said Dr. Timothy Regan, President of Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and Chief Medical Officer of Lakeland Regional Health. “As part of our strategic plan, we continue to expand access to our nationally recognized care. We have proudly served our community for 110 years and look forward to continuing to provide exceptional and compassionate care for our neighbors close to home.” At the new locations, patients can expect comprehensive emergency care for both adults and children. Just like LRH’s main emergency room, the state-of-the-art Freestanding Emergency Departments will be open 24/7 and offer emergency radiology services, such as CT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, and on-site lab services. Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, the largest hospital in Polk County, is only minutes away from the new locations. Patients who need to be admitted will be transported to the Medical Center at no cost to the patient. The Medical Center is part of Lakeland Regional Health, Polk County’s largest local health system, and has more than 1,400 members of the medical staff. Additionally, the LRH Physician Group, which comprises more than 450 providers in 40+ specialties, will provide patients with excellent follow-up care close to home. Freestanding Emergency Department locations are part of the LRH Medical Center. They are not urgent care centers; services and care are billed at hospital Emergency Department rates. ### About Lakeland Regional Health Not-for-profit Lakeland Regional Health reaches beyond its hospital walls to promote wellness, education, and discovery in new places and new ways, providing a wide range of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services at its Medical Center, Hollis Cancer Center, and ambulatory care locations. Lakeland Regional Health earned Most Wired Advanced and Most Wired status 10 times since 2013 and has earned workplace awards from Forbes, Gallup, and Becker’s Hospital Review. Its 910-bed comprehensive tertiary referral hospital, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, operates the Jack and Tina Harrell Family Institute for Advanced Cardiovascular Medicine; a Trauma Center; the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children, which includes a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; the Bannasch Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation Medicine; and the Harrell Family Center for Behavioral Wellness. Rendering - Lakeland Location - US Hwy 98 N and Marcum Rd.
Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) plans to open two new Freestanding Emergency Departments over the next 24 months – one at U.S. Highway 17 and CR 540 in the Winter Haven area in mid-2027 and one on U.S. 98 North at Marcum Road in early 2028.
The new locations will be the second and third Freestanding Emergency Departments for LRH. The organization’s first Freestanding Emergency Department opened in March 2025 at 6150 S. Florida Ave., off CR 540A. LRH’s Freestanding Emergency Departments provide the same expert emergency care as Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center’s Emergency Department.
“We are proud to bring our lifesaving emergency care closer to patients of all ages in Winter Haven and North Lakeland,” said Dr. Timothy Regan, President of Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and Chief Medical Officer of Lakeland Regional Health. “As part of our strategic plan, we continue to expand access to our nationally recognized care. We have proudly served our community for 110 years and look forward to continuing to provide exceptional and compassionate care for our neighbors close to home.”
At the new locations, patients can expect comprehensive emergency care for both adults and children. Just like LRH’s main emergency room, the state-of-the-art Freestanding Emergency Departments will be open 24/7 and offer emergency radiology services, such as CT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, and on-site lab services.
Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, the largest hospital in Polk County, is only minutes away from the new locations. Patients who need to be admitted will be transported to the Medical Center at no cost to the patient. The Medical Center is part of Lakeland Regional Health, Polk County’s largest local health system, and has more than 1,400 members of the medical staff. Additionally, the LRH Physician Group, which comprises more than 450 providers in 40+ specialties, will provide patients with excellent follow-up care close to home.
Freestanding Emergency Department locations are part of the LRH Medical Center. They are not urgent care centers; services and care are billed at hospital Emergency Department rates.
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About Lakeland Regional Health
Not-for-profit Lakeland Regional Health reaches beyond its hospital walls to promote wellness, education, and discovery in new places and new ways, providing a wide range of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services at its Medical Center, Hollis Cancer Center, and ambulatory care locations. Lakeland Regional Health earned Most Wired Advanced and Most Wired status 10 times since 2013 and has earned workplace awards from Forbes, Gallup, and Becker’s Hospital Review. Its 910-bed comprehensive tertiary referral hospital, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, operates the Jack and Tina Harrell Family Institute for Advanced Cardiovascular Medicine; a Trauma Center; the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children, which includes a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; the Bannasch Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation Medicine; and the Harrell Family Center for Behavioral Wellness.
Rendering - Lakeland Location - US Hwy 98 N and Marcum Rd.