Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital’s $20 million emergency department renovation and expansion has entered its third and final phase, temporarily rerouting walk-in traffic while the old lobby gets a redo.
Signs and banners that went up last week direct people to the former patient pavilion which has been incorporated into the emergency department. Chain-link fencing and a locked gate block access to the old entrance.
“This will allow construction activities to occur safely while preserving uninterrupted emergency services,” hospital spokesperson Raquel Gonzalez Rivas said.
“Parking remains the same and patient drop off will still be available via the temporary entrance,” she added.
The first phase of the three-part revamp, which was funded entirely through philanthropy and completed in 2025, relocated the hospital’s infusion bays to the Scully-Welsh Cancer Center building, expanding the number of spots available to cancer patients receiving chemo, and other patients needing outpatient infusions.
That freed up space to construct 20 new treatment areas in the patient pavilion, which now also houses the temporary emergency entrance and lobby.
“While the entrance is changing on Aug. 1, patients can expect the same high-quality emergency care,” Rivas said. “We appreciate the community’s patience as we make these important improvements to better serve current and future healthcare needs.”
Once the lobby entrance renovation is finished, the emergency department will be able to handle 105 patients at once, up from 67 before the expansion. The previous large lobby and entrance will be reconfigured to create space for triage and eight new acute care treatment rooms, while also continuing as the walk-in entry to the emergency department
The goal is to eliminate wait times and improve patient care – even during Vero’s busiest winter months when ambulances can be lined up waiting to drop-off patients by mid-afternoon.
“Upon completion of phase three, the emergency department will be ready to serve the community with state-of-the-art tools to help us fulfill our mission,” said Dr. Richard Rothman, vice president and chief medical officer at the hospital.
The long-planned renovations were designed and pushed by Rothman’s predecessor, Dr. David Peter, who began raising the needed funds before his retirement in December 2023. Some interim improvements took place under Peter, including secure rooms for behavioral health patients and a crisis behavioral health team, funded with taxpayer money from the Indian River County Hospital District.
“We continue to make investments that reflect Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital’s commitment to Indian River County residents and meeting the community’s needs” Rothman said. “We are fortunate to have dedicated philanthropists who are strongly committed to our mission to make this the best place to receive care and the best place to work in healthcare.
“Today, the more than 2,600 caregivers who work at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital have access to advanced tools to care for our patients thanks to this generosity.”
The improvements rectify a situation that existed since the COVID-19 pandemic, where office cubicle dividers and temporary triage areas were set up indoors after the hospital’s pandemic-era tents were taken down. The tents were set up to keep Covid-positive patients separate from Covid-negative patients presenting at the emergency department for other reasons. The new treatment rooms and triage facilities will be more private for patients, and less chaotic for patients and hospital staff alike.
With nearly 60,000 emergency visits per year – an average of more than 160 per day – Indian River Hospital has the busiest emergency department in Cleveland Clinic Florida’s system of five hospitals. A sixth hospital in downtown West Palm Beach will open in 2027.
“In total, Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital will spend more than a quarter billion dollars in improvements to bring state of the art healthcare into our community,” said Rothman. “These include the emergency department, the labor and delivery unit, the power plant, the new catheterization labs for heart procedures, the biplane suite for stroke and cerebrovascular emergencies, and advanced imaging for augmented diagnostics, such as three Tesla MRIs, AI-enhanced mammography and advanced PET-CT.”
Patients are noticing all the changes.
For the second year in a row, Indian River Hospital appeared on Forbes magazine’s five-star hospital list – the only hospital in the Cleveland Clinic Florida system to make the roster of America’s top hospitals.
Only 10 of Florida’s more than 300 hospitals received the coveted honor, which is based on patient outcomes, patient experience, value and best practices.
“We are committed to caring for patients across their lifetime with enhanced specialty offerings and facilities not available anywhere else on the Treasure Coast,” said Rothman. “This is reflected in national rankings like Forbes Magazine, which has recognized Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital on the list of Forbes Top Hospitals By State for two years in a row. Many patients don’t fully understand the impact these advanced technologies and specialist have on extending life.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis
