Bayfront Health ER & Urgent Care is now open in Cape Coral at 2521 Del Prado Blvd. N., in the Shoppes at North Cape shopping center. This center combines emergency services and urgent care under one roof. PROVIDED

Bayfront Health Port Charlotte has opened a “hybrid ER” in Cape Coral.

The new facility on Del Prado Boulevard combines urgent care and emergency services in one centralized location.

“Our primary goal is to provide the residents and visitors of Cape Coral with faster access to emergency and urgent care services,” said Tara McCoy, chief executive officer for Bayfront Health Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda in a prepared statement. “We have been serving more than just Charlotte County for many years and this is yet another example of our commitment to meet the needs of any community by expanding healthcare services.”

Located in the Shoppes at North Cape shopping center, the facility has 12 private exam rooms and is equipped with on-site labs, X-ray, ultrasound and CT.

Emergency care services will be provided 24/7, while no-appointment-needed urgent care is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Officials said the location is fully equipped to handle everything from allergies to appendicitis, and that patients will only be charged for the appropriate level of care.

“Bayfront Health ER & Urgent Care will be equipped to handle emergencies just as a hospital would, but if a situation turns out to be lower acuity, patients will receive and be billed only for urgent care services,” said Robert Leyrer, M.D., medical director for Bayfront Health Port Charlotte’s emergency services, in a statement. “This means that as a patient, you do not have to try to decide which type of location to go to when you need immediate care.”

Both levels of care are offered in the same building.

“This approach makes care more affordable by avoiding the higher cost of the emergency room if patients only require urgent care services,” McCoy said.

More than 50 new jobs have been created to serve patients at the center, including board-certified emergency physicians, registered nurses and other patient care providers.

Bayfront Health ER & Urgent Care, a department of Bayfront Health Port Charlotte, is at 2521 Del Prado Blvd. N.

For more information, visit www.BayfrontERUC.com.

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