Baptist Health opened a 16-room emergency center at its SilverLeaf Medical Campus in St. Johns County on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The facility gives families near World Golf Village their closest full-service ER.

The Baptist & Wolfson Emergency Room, at 8595 St. Johns Parkway, is a freestanding 23,000-square-foot facility connected by a walkway to the outpatient building that began seeing patients June 23.

The $128.5 million campus now offers primary care, neurology, orthopedics, rehabilitation, cardiology and round-the-clock emergency services for adults and children. The Jacksonville Daily Record first reported the opening.

The ER is staffed by professionals with pediatric expertise and includes child-friendly touches: a play space in the waiting area, iPads loaded with games, and images of animals on the walls. A helipad sits just outside the doors for patients who need air transport.

"The kids are not just little adults. They need special treatment and care," Tammy Daniel, Baptist Health's chief nursing officer, said at the opening.

Kirk Jackson, nurse manager for the SilverLeaf emergency department, said patients needing hospital admission will be transferred to Baptist Medical Center South or Wolfson Children's Hospital. Jackson told the Daily Record the ER has the same capabilities as Baptist Health's full-sized emergency departments at its main campuses.

The campus sits about 3 miles north of International Golf Parkway and Tocoi Creek High School. Baptist Health says roughly 1.02 million people live within a 30-minute drive. WUSF reported St. Johns County's population has grown an estimated 25% since 2020.

Baptist Health purchased the 33.6-acre site in 2020 for $11.5 million from White's Ford Timber through Jacksonville-based The Hutson Companies, according to a Daily Record report on the permits.

St. Johns County District 2 Commissioner Sarah Arnold said in January 2025 that the World Golf Village area lacked immediate access to emergency care. Having a facility nearby "will change lives," she said when the permits were issued.

Jacksonville-based Gresham Smith designed the building. Christina Stover, Baptist Health's director of construction, said the campus has room to expand but the company has not finalized plans for additional development.

The campus also offers free wellness services, including sound baths, health education and body composition analysis, open to anyone regardless of insurance or income. Residents can self-enroll through Baptist Health's website.