Photo: (l-r) Doug Matney, UHS VP of Ambulatory and Emergency Services; Frank Lopez, UHS Regional VP; Robbin Lee, CEO of WRMC; John Carter, Minto; Pam Tahan, COO of WRMC; Roger Manning, Mayor of Westlake
Construction of Westlake’s first new commercial development is underway. On Thursday, May 24th, Wellington Regional Medical Center, and its parent company, United Health Services (UHS), broke ground a new 10,379-square-foot freestanding emergency medical facility.
Located at 16400 Persimmon Blvd, on the southeast corner of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Persimmon Boulevard, the full-service facility will provide emergency care 24-hours a day, seven days a week. It will have eight exam rooms, CT scan, X-ray and ultrasound, and a lab. Doctors and staff will treat everything from cuts and bruises to heart attacks and strokes, with the ability to airlift patients to the main hospital if needed.
Plans for the emergency facility were outlined at a groundbreaking ceremony attended by the healthcare executives, city leaders, representatives for Minto Communities and members of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce.
“Between the support of UHS and the collaboration of my local team, we have come to this moment, where this endeavor will allow us to expand our services and provide superior healthcare to a newly established community,” said Robbin Lee, CEO of Wellington Regional Medical Center. “Residents of Westlake will have the opportunity to experience prompt, around the clock care, close to home.”
The City of Westlake became Palm Beach County’s 39th municipality two years ago. Minto, the largest land owner, is developing a 3,800-acre master planned community, also called Westlake, which is approved for 4,500 homes and more than two-million square feet of commercial space.
“This represents the first major nonresidential user coming to the community and City of Westlake,” said John Carter, Minto vice president. “This new emergency medical facility sets the cornerstone for services to the community and to the region and also becomes a gateway to other nonresidential uses.”
United Health Services (UHS) purchased the 5.66-acre site from Minto and site plans were approved by the City in February. Lee said she expects the facility to see its first patients next year.
Westlake opened to buyers last October and Minto is in the middle of building out its first neighborhood called the Hammocks, planned for 325 homes. The first residents started moving in earlier this year.
