BayCare opens outpatient center in Manatee County

A Clearwater-based healthcare system has opened an outpatient center with primary care, laboratory and imaging services in Manatee County. BayCare cut the ribbon Monday at the facility, which is called BayCare HealthHub Manatee, at 6620 Moccasin Wallow Road in Palmetto.

Spanning more than 46,000 square feet, the complex will provide primary and specialty care through BayCare Medical Group; outpatient laboratory services; and advanced imaging, including MRI, CT, PET, mammography, X-ray, DEXA and ultrasound.

“As this community to continues to grow, the demand for convenient, high-quality healthcare is growing with it.” Dr. Chris Bucciarelli, vice president of ambulatory services and chief medical officer for BayCare Ambulatory Services, says in a statement.

The population in Manatee County has increased by 17.13% in the last five years and was 468,200 in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“BayCare’s goal is to make it easier for Manatee County residents to get the care they need, when and where they need it,” Bucciarelli says in a statement.

Near BayCare HealthHub Manatee, construction is currently underway at BayCare Hospital Manatee, the nonprofit healthcare system’s 17th hospital and the first hospital north of the Manatee River. It will encompass 436,000 square feet, providing 154 private patient rooms with the capacity to expand to 207 beds. Recently, BayCare received $2.5 million in state funding for the addition of a neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital, which is expected to more than double Manatee County’s NICU capacity when the hospital opens. 

In July, a topping-out ceremony marked the final steel beam being put on the more than $560 million hospital. Atlanta-based construction firm Robins & Morton is building the facility, which is scheduled to open in 2028. 

The expansion of BayCare in Manatee County has been years in the making. In 2023, the healthcare system purchased nearly 94 acres on Moccasin Wallow Road for $28.66 million, according to Manatee County property records.

“This is not about a single facility,” Bucciarelli says in the statement on the opening of the HealthHub. “It is about building a comprehensive healthcare presence in Manatee County and creating a network that can flourish with the community.

BayCare HealthHub Manatee is the eighth HealthHub for the system. Others in the region are in Bardmoor, Bloomingdale, Carillon, Carrollwood, Land O’ Lakes, South Tampa and Trinity.

BayCare includes 16 hospitals and employs nearly 34,000 team members. It posted $6.97 billion in operating revenue in 2025. Its network also includes BayCare Urgent Care locations; laboratories; imaging services; surgical centers; multispecialty provider group BayCare Medical Group; and one of Florida’s largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare.