BRUNSWICK — Southwest General Health Center’s Urgicare next to City Hall will become the only 24-hour emergency care facility in the city on Sunday.

Southwest General’s Brunswick Medical Center, which includes the Urgicare and doctor’s offices, opened in 2008. But the hospital announced in August it would renovate the Urgicare to house the new emergency room, which opens Sunday.

Also, the hospital will break ground at the start of next year on an 8,000-square-foot, $6.5 million addition “specifically for an expanded emergency presence,” Southwest General Vice President Al Matyas said Thursday.

Placing an emergency room in Brunswick makes sense because the area is a particularly important market for Southwest General, he has said, but patients are forced to travel to the hospital in Middleburg Heights.

“We provide medical care for an extremely large portion of the population here in Medina County. This is part of our overall strategic plan, which involves putting in key services that are in areas that are in close proximity to the people we’re serving,” Matyas said.

Karen Smith, director of nursing for emergency services for Southwest General, said the transition from an urgent care facility to an emergency room has meant upgrades in equipment and bringing on additional, highly trained staff.

“It’s a higher level of service. So all of our (staff) are trained in advanced life support, trauma nursing and more,” she said. “So it’s a much higher level of skill that will be provided here.”

Matyas said the hospital has brought on the equivalent of 16 full-time workers to help operate the emergency department. The hospital also will invest $4.5 million between the two phases.

Contact Maria Kacik at (330) 721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.