More people are moving to the west side of Jacksonville. The area is convenient to downtown and close to shopping, dining and entertainment. Many people are enjoying new neighborhood developments and buy homes in this area every day. This expanding population has created a greater need for a hospital in the area. Citizens west of I-295 and south of I-10 have relatively poor access to health care facilities than other residents of Jacksonville.

With the construction of a new hospital, people living in the west side of Jacksonville will have a much shorter drive to a full-service medical facility. Recent research has shown that ZIP codes 32210, 32220, 32221, 32222 and 32234 show a need for 217 beds.

This bed need assumes current market demand as experienced in 2008 at a 75 percent occupancy rate, while OB operates at 65 percent capacity. As more people move into the area, the need will only continue to rise. This need, combined with the increasing population in the area, makes West Jacksonville Medical Center a necessity for the area.