PORT ORANGE
SOPHIE’S CIRCLE FASHION SHOW PAGE 8
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE
VOLUME 3, NO. 3
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SEPTEMBER 2019
County and city taxes tick upward County report PAGE 2
Mayor Q+A PAGE 3
ER around the corner Photo courtesy of AdventHealth
The $17 million project will be on seven acres directly south of the Port Orange Pavilion at 5811 Williamson Blvd.
INSIDE THE VIOLENCE IN OUR HOMES
Beacon Center increases domestic violence outreach efforts in Volusia County. PAGE 9
FINDING A NEW HOPE IN LIFE
‘People change lives here. They get a good chance,’ said Valerie Williams, volunteer coordinator for Hope Place in Daytona Beach. PAGE 4
SCOTT: BOUND FOR NEBRASKA
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BCH FL PERMIT #447
Posterized: Marvin Scott has big plans. PAGE 7
Port Orange residents to get AdventHealth ER and Medical Plaza LINDSAY CASHIO ADVENTHEALTH SPOKESWOMAN
AdventHealth has announced plans to build a 18,400-square foot, 24-bed hospital-based emergency department in Port Orange to care for both adults and children. Situated on seven acres directly south of the Port Orange Pavilion at 5811 Williamson Blvd., the AdventHealth Port Orange ER will house the same services found in hospital emergency rooms, including imaging and laboratory services. It will operate as a department of AdventHealth Daytona Beach. “Port Orange has experienced growth at a rapid pace,” said Ed Noseworthy, AdventHealth Daytona Beach president and CEO. “We looked at several properties in the Port Orange area, but none had the ease of access and visibility of this specific location. This is a convenient access point for the community and is in close proximity to the popular Port Orange Pavilion.”
Construction on this approximately $17 million project is expected to begin in March 2020 and open in early 2021. “We believe in investing in the community,” Noseworthy said. “Not only is this new emergency department an investment in the community’s health care, but we are also striving to bring jobs and economic growth to the area. We will use as many local vendors as we can for this construction project. Once completed, we will hire additional physicians and staff, and are looking to add about 40 full-time employees.” The location is located halfway between AdventHealth Daytona Beach and AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach. In addition to the ER, AdventHealth plans to expand on the property in the future and add a two-story medical office building for a variety of physicians and specialized care. “A number of our physicians and specialists are already serving patients in the Port Orange area,” said Dr. Dennis Hernandez, AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach president and CEO. “The new medical plaza will allow us to bring even more specialists and primary care providers to the
MAYOR REACTS Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette reacted this way to the news on Facebook: “Another ER in Port Orange? I cannot think of a WORSE location than this intersection to locate it -the empty lot at the southeast corner of Williamson and Dunlawton/Taylor Road, next to the interstate entrance, near an FPL substation. This is one of the city’s busiest intersections, and its been made worse by additional travelers confused coming south on I-95 missing the new exit for I-4 and exiting here to turn around. When I learned about this major project in
the newspaper, all I could think of is how an ambulance trying to get through this intersection would have a slow-fit getting through, backing things up in all directions for several more light changes... hmmm. The traffic flow to a new urgent care vs a free standing ER is quite a different topic, to be sure. It’s of vital importance to have needed services and infrastructure to serve our residents, but I wish ADVANT HEALTH put more thought into the negative impact this project will have on the quality of life of the paying residents they wish to attract.”
area, further growing our comprehensive network of services.” In the next few months, AdventHealth will host a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on the new emergency department. The architect is Orlando-based HuntonBrady. Story courtesy of AdventHealth.
“The new plaza will allow us to bring even more specialists and primary care providers to the area.” DENNIS HERNANDEZ
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ASSISTED 50 HOMES PREPARE FOR DORIAN The Knights of Columbus Council 8086 made waiting for Hurricane Dorian a lot easier, as they assisted 50 households in the Port Orange area with their storm preparations. This came after recently adapting their Faith in Action initiative where hurricane preparedness is one of the components. The Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church-based
Council embraced the opportunity by holding a free hurricane seminar, where parishioners and local residents could sign up to request assistance. Council 8086 formed four “Hurricane Knights” teams, led by Sir Knight Dr. Ernest Jackson, to survey all of the respondents. When Dorian was officially named a hurricane, the teams swung into action.
Photo courtesy of SK John O’Malley, Council 8086 Publicity