Ascension St. Vincent’s Clay County plans a 9 a.m. March 24 groundbreaking for a Family Birth Place expansion that would elevate the hospital to a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit providing care for premature and sick infants.
Clay County is experiencing an above-average number of preterm births, according to St. Vincent’s. In 2023, 12% of births in the county occurred before 37 weeks of gestation, compared with 10.7% statewide.
The expansion will add about 5,000 square feet and eight Level II NICU beds in private rooms, according to a company spokesperson and Clay County documents. The project was announced May 20, 2025, with a projected summer 2026 opening.
“This will allow for care of newborns from 30 weeks gestation and/or 1,250 grams (2.75 pounds) or greater birthweight. The upgraded NICU will care for newborns who require close monitoring and support for feeding, temperature regulation and mild respiratory problems,” the spokesperson said in a March 10 email.
The hospital is at 1670 St. Vincents Way in Middleburg. The project cost is $4 million, according to a Clay County building permit application. The civil engineer is Jacksonville-based Prosser | Prime AE.
Elsewhere in Northeast Florida, Ascension St. Vincent’s proposes a 28,000-square-foot birthing center addition in St. Johns County. The St. Johns River Water Management District and St. Johns County are reviewing permit applications for the expansion to the $115 million, 150,000-square-foot campus at northeast Interstate 95 and County Road 210 West.
The county’s development review committee is scheduled to discuss the plans April 1. Project costs for the St. Johns expansion have not been disclosed.
According to the Ascension website, its birthing centers provide maternity care with private labor-delivery-postpartum suites; around-the-clock on-site obstetric emergency care; and neonatal support. The centers also offer wireless monitoring, birthing balls and tubs, neonatal intensive care unit access and lactation support.
Some locations hold Baby-Friendly designation, a certification awarded by Baby-Friendly USA in partnership with the World Health Organization and UNICEF to recognize hospitals that support breastfeeding and mother-infant bonding.