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Baptist Medical Center Clay had its grand opening Monday for a new 300,000-square-foot, full-service hospital at 1771 Baptist Clay Dr. in Fleming Island. 

The $234-million six-story facility has 120 beds and will bring 400 new jobs to Clay County, according to Baptist. It will provide a full array of specialties, including a 20-room maternity center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, advanced heart care and comprehensive cancer care. Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center will join in spring 2023.

Crews broke ground in November 2020. The general contractor is The Haskell Company, and the architect is HuntonBrady Architects.

“Clay County residents told us they needed hospital-based health care services close to home,” Hospital President Darin Roark said in a release. 

“Having a full-service hospital nearby eliminates having to travel out of the area to get high-quality medical care.”

Building the hospital during a pandemic led to preventive measures that were incorporated into the hospital's design.

Among the hospital’s amenities is a fourth-floor Intensive Care Unit that can switch to negative-pressure rooms in an instant to maximize infection control. This prevents contaminated air or other dangerous particles from flowing into non-contaminated areas.

“Opening a full-service hospital on Fleming Island is the culmination of nearly two decades of planning and hard work,” Baptist Health President and CEO Michael A. Mayo said in the release.

“Baptist Health was determined to build a hospital in the growing Clay County area to expand health care choices for local residents and to give them the high level of quality patient care they deserve.”