From left to right: Jackson Memorial Hospital registered nurse Anicia Dominguez, nurse practitioner Arliette Vita and Miami Dade College student Ashley Rivera perform a simulation of a patient's experience as they make their way into a resuscitation area during a tour of the hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times.

(Left to right) Jackson Memorial Hospital registered nurse Anicia Dominguez, nurse practitioner Arliette Vita and Miami Dade College student Ashley Rivera perform a simulation of a patient’s experience as they make their way into a resuscitation area during a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times.

Photo by Matias J. Ocner

mocner@miamiherald.com

Miami-Dade’s public health system will soon open one of the largest emergency rooms in the nation as part of its efforts to reduce patient wait times and improve access to care.

Adult patients will be able to seek care at the newly expanded ER starting April 23 on the main Miami campus of Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Jackson leaders have previously described the $300 million ER expansion as a long-awaited facelift for the facility, which is one of the busiest ERs in the country and is considered to be the hospital’s “ground zero” for initial treatment.

“The emergency room of the future is on the way,” Carlos Migoya, CEO of the entire health system, said in 2024 when expansion plans were first announced. About 80% of patients admitted to the hospital system are first treated at the ER, according to Jackson Health.

The new ER, located at 1026 NW 19th St., is expected to double the size of the hospital’s previous ER, with more than 200 patient rooms and separate entrances for adult and pediatric patients. It’s part of the health system’s plan as it prepares for the growing demand of care in the region, according to Dr. Hany Atallah, chief medical officer at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Jackson expects to see about 110,000 to 120,000 patients in the ER in the year after the new facility opens.

Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of their current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

On Thursday, Miami-Dade College nursing students were at the nearly completed ER, simulating the role of patients as part of a training exercise with Jackson Memorial Hospital staff.

Every part of the new ER was built “to decrease wait and increase the patient experience,” Jackson Memorial Hospital CEO Joanne Ruggiero told the Miami Herald during a tour of the new facility.

Here’s what to know:

Who can get care at the ER?

Both adult and pediatric patients can get care at Jackson’s ER, which will have two separate entrances, one for adults and the other for pediatric patients, once the construction is complete.

In late April, the first phase of the project — the side of the ER that will provide care to adults — will be completed. Adult patients can enter the ER through the 19th Street entrance.

Parents can continue to bring their kids to the existing ER, through the 17th Street entrance, while the hospital works on the second phase of the project, to renovate the pediatric wing of the facility.

Jackson Memorial Hospital Dr. Mark Supino and Miami Dade College student Brittany Penichet perform a simulation of a patient's experience during a tour of the hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Jackson Memorial Hospital Dr. Mark Supino and Miami Dade College student Brittany Penichet perform a simulation of a patient’s experience during a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Where can you park?

Parking will be available across from the ER, which will also have a drop-off area.

What does the ER look like?

The new ER is described by Ruggiero as a one-stop-shop for care and will have a pharmacy, X-ray, MRI and other diagnostic tests available to treat patients and either discharge them or admit them to the hospital more quickly. The ER is connected to other major hospital arteries, including Ryder Trauma Center, to speed up the process of caring for and transferring patients as needed.

From left to right: Jackson Memorial Hospital registered nurse Anicia Dominguez, Miami Dade College student Ashley Rivera and Jackson Memorial Hospital nurse practitioner Arliette Vita perform a simulation of a patient's experience in a resuscitation area during a tour of the hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. (Left to right) Jackson Memorial Hospital registered nurse Anicia Dominguez, Miami Dade College student Ashley Rivera and Jackson Memorial Hospital nurse practitioner Arliette Vita perform a simulation of a patient’s experience in a resuscitation area during a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

Once patients check in, some will be placed within the ER’s “fast-track” rooms, which are for patients who are expected to be discharged within two hours, according to Ruggiero.

All rooms have a remote that will give patients the ability to watch TV, recline the bed, call their nurse and see details about their care on a nearby screen, including diagnosis information and the names of the nurses and doctors attending to them. The remote, which has specific buttons to notify staff if the patient is in pain or needs to use the bathroom, is similar to a cellphone and will give patients the ability to press a button to speak with a nurse before the nurse ever gets to the room.

Once the entire ER project is completed in 2027, the facility will have:

More than 200 patient rooms, including 57 observation rooms, 30 UHealth Jackson Children’s Care pediatric rooms and six resuscitation rooms. Overflow beds will no longer be needed in the hallways, increasing patient privacy.Designated treatment areas for specific patient populations, such as for mental health patients, to enhance privacy. There will be an autism-friendly room in the pediatric wing, along with separate entrances for adult and pediatric ER patients.The new ER building will also be home to Jackson’s second helicopter landing pad to increase the hospital’s capability of quickly responding to injured patients. From left to right: Jackson Memorial Hospital registered nurse Belkis Diaz, Miami Dade College student Amyra Gowon and Emergency Medical Technician Edward Laden perform a simulation of a patient's experience in a patient room during a tour of the hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. (Left to right) Jackson Memorial Hospital registered nurse Belkis Diaz, Miami Dade College student Amyra Gowon and emergency medical technician Edward Laden perform a simulation of a patient’s experience in a patient room during a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com What is left to construct?

The ER is opening in phases. Once the new building opens in April, Jackson will get to work renovating the old ER, which is next door, to transform it into a new pediatric ER wing. Once that phase of the project is completed in 2027, the ER will have two separate entrances for adults and pediatric patients.

The entire ER is expected to encompass an entire block, making it one of the largest emergency rooms in the nation, according to Jorge Garciga, Jackson’s director of facilities design and construction.

Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of their current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of their current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Jackson Memorial Hospital nurse practitioner Eli Bryski, center, uses a computer at a nurses' station during a tour of the hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Jackson Memorial Hospital nurse practitioner Eli Bryski, center, uses a computer at a nurses’ station during a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Jackson Memorial Hospital ER nurse Peter Panicker uses a computer at a nurses' station during a tour of the hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Jackson Memorial Hospital ER nurse Peter Panicker uses a computer at a nurses’ station during a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of their current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Jackson Memorial Hospital Senior Director of Operations Jennifer Rey-Garcia speaks to the media during a tour of the hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Jackson Memorial Hospital Senior Director of Operations Jennifer Rey-Garcia speaks to the media during a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Jackson Memorial Hospital Director of Facilities Design and Construction Jorge Luis Garcia, left, gives a tour of the hospital's new emergency department lobby on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Jackson Memorial Hospital Director of Facilities Design and Construction Jorge Luis Garciga, left, gives a tour of the hospital’s new emergency department lobby on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital's new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of their current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. Construction crews work on the exterior of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s new emergency department on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com A construction worker makes her way through Jackson Memorial Hospital's new emergency department lobby on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. The new facility doubles the size of the current emergency room and is expected to reduce patient wait times. A construction worker makes her way through Jackson Memorial Hospital’s new emergency department lobby on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

This article was updated to clarify the entrances adult and pediatric patients will use to access the ER and the facility’s location.

This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

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Michelle Marchante

Miami Herald

Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow. 
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