Medical center to open at Sears location in Edison Mall

Writer: Melissa Montoya
Published: Updated:
The old Sears store at Edison Mall in Fort Myers will serve as a medical center post-Ian. The site was previously used as a COVID-19 vaccination site. (Credit: WINK News)

The Florida Division of Emergency Management is opening a medical center in the old Sears location at Edison Mall.

The location was previously used as a vaccination site during the pandemic.

It will be the first community medical center to provide emergency and urgent medical support post-Hurricane Ian, according to a news release from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

The facility will be staffed 24/7 with medical personnel to treat, stabilize and transfer patients to assist with overflow from regional hospitals.

The site will start with 100 beds and then have the ability to expand to 1,000 beds should the need arise.

The facility, located at 4125 Cleveland Avenue, will provide around-the-clock care with the ability to triage and treat patients with low-acuity medical needs and house them for 24 – 48 hours while they await transfer to the nearest available brick-and-mortar hospital. The objective is to serve as a back-up resource and medical center as patients receive treatment and care while area hospitals continue to assess damages as well as repair facilities in the wake of Hurricane Ian, according to the press release.

The creation of the facility is a joint partnership of FEMA, the governor’s office, Division of Emergency Management, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and Lee County.

The center will be staffed by doctors and nurses from around the state and the country.

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