The project will add 36 inpatient rooms, while a third medical office building is planned to expand outpatient care.
As Clay County continues to grow, Baptist Medical Center Clay is expanding alongside it to meet the rising demand for high-quality care close to home. The hospital is adding 36 inpatient beds to ensure more residents have access to the hospital care they need. Construction to increase bed capacity by 35% began in September and is expected to be completed in fall 2027.
The expansion comes as the adult population in the communities served by Baptist Clay is projected to grow 10.6% over the next five years. This growth will see a 23% increase among those aged 65 and older – an age group that is three times more likely to require inpatient care than adults aged 64 and younger. With approximately 8,700 inpatient and observation admissions in 2025, Baptist Clay continues to see strong demand for inpatient care.
“As more people call our region home, we’re making room to care for more patients close to home,” said Ed Hubel, FACHE, president of Baptist Clay. “This expansion reflects our commitment to growing with the community and making sure our residents have access to the care they need, when they need it.”
Approximately 31,351-square-feet of available space on the sixth floor is being converted into new inpatient rooms. The additional beds will allow Baptist Clay to care for more patients who need to stay in the hospital, whether they need general medical care or progressive care, which requires closer monitoring or a higher level of treatment.
Baptist Clay has steadily expanded services on its campus to meet community need since opening in December 2022. It has enhanced advanced imaging with new CT scanners and patient-friendly MRI machines, expanded its emergency department to 27 patient rooms for adults and kids, opened a Baptist Orthopedics clinic offering surgical and non-surgical care and added a Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center satellite facility to improve access to cancer services, including medical oncology, radiation oncology, infusion services and high-risk breast and breast surgery services.
Plans are also underway to construct a third medical office building at Baptist Clay that will house specialty outpatient clinics to support the campus. The three-story, 75,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in summer 2028.
“For generations, Baptist Health has invested in the people, facilities and services needed to help our communities thrive,” said Matthew A. Zuino, MSIS, FACHE, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “We have a responsibility to look ahead and prepare for the care the people we serve will need in the years to come. This expansion continues that tradition, ensuring Baptist Clay is ready to meet the needs of patients and families today and well into the future.”
Baptist Clay provides comprehensive medical and surgical care for Fleming Island, Orange Park, Green Cove Springs, Oakleaf, Middleburg, Keystone Heights, Lake Ashbury and surrounding communities. The campus includes a full-service hospital, an ER for adults and children, a surgery center, Baptist HealthPlace, a Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center and medical office buildings, with services ranging from primary care, pediatrics and cardiology to labor and delivery, neurology, orthopedics and more. Families benefit from a network of pediatric services, including emergency care, rehabilitation and specialty clinics, backed by the expertise of Wolfson Children’s Hospital – the region’s only full-service tertiary hospital for children. Baptist Clay is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, has earned a Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for ER care and is regularly recognized in the Clay Today “Best of Clay” awards, as voted on by the public.
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