Healthcare continues to boom in Pasco, north Hillsborough By Kyle LoJacono klojacono@cnewspubs.com While growth in other industries stalled, healthcare across the region continues to expand. In 2010, Lutz saw the opening of the first new full-service hospital in Hillsborough County in 30 years. In east Pasco County, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills opened a sleep center, while Pasco Regional Medical Center saw the comple- tion of its wound center. This year's development trumps 2010's, with construction of one new hospital in Wesley Chapel and the opening of another in Trinity, the expansion of an emergency room in Dade City, Florida Medical Clinic's continued growth in east Pasco and the opening of new services in Lutz. Wesley Chapel Medical Center While it will not open until the end of 2012, the Wesley Chapel Medical Center's construction illustrates the growth still present in healthcare in the region. The facility, which will be located about one-half mile north of SR 56 on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, broke ground Dec. 14. It will take 18-24 months to build and will be the first full-service hospital in Wesley The future Wesley Chapel Medical Center will be built throughout 2011. Chapel, according to John Harding, president and CEO of Adventist Health System's (AHS) Tampa Bay Region.AHS is building the new hospital. The project was originally a joint venture between AHS and University Community Health, but the two companies merged last September. It will open with three floors and 80 beds, but is built to easily expand to 300. Harding said he projects more floors will be added to make room shortly after Pasco its opening. agency c The project comes at a price of $121 million, according to AHS spokes- woman Christine Stewart. It will offer obstetrics, pediatrics, women's and men's services, general surgery, an emergency de- partment with helicopter pad, a comprehensive medical fitness program, or- thopedics and sports medicine. Pasco Regional Medical Center Dade City will see another healthcare expansion next year when Pasco Regional Medical Center begins work to double square footage of its emergency depart- ment. Pasco Regional spokeswoman Katie Bryant said the hospital had planned to start work on the expansion last year, but permitting was delayed.A date for the start of the project is not yet set, but will likely be either at the end of January or the start of February. "It's just part of offering our patients faster access to care,' Bryant said."We've already have a way for people to check the wait times at www.PascoRegionalmc.com to see a healthcare professional in our emer- gency department so people can decide when to get nonurgent treat- ment.That helps reduce wait times and Regional Medical Center will expand its emer- lepartment in 2011. (File photos) obviously having a larger department will go even farther to cut wait times." Bryant said the emergency department at Pasco Regional is currently working at ca- pacity most of the time. She did not have exact details because the design can change during permitting. Pasco Regional will also renovate its waiting rooms and main lobby in 2011 after the emergency department project is start- ed. The renovation will make those areas look less like a sterile hospital and more like a home, including the addition of art- work and a fresh coat of paint in soft colors such as mint green. Florida Medical Clinic Florida Medical Clinic will see at least three major additions to its healthcare offer- ings in Zephyrhills this year - expansions to its same-day surgery, clinical rheumatol- ogy and urgent care facilities. "We need more space to meet the healthcare needs of our patients in east Pasco County," said Florida Medical CEO Joe Delatorre. Florida Medical's same-day surgery facili- ty will grow by 12,000 square foot. That project is set to start in the first half of 2011. The rheumatology facilities will in- crease by 7,500 square feet, plus a tentative plan to make a 7,000-square-foot addition to urgent care. Additionally, Delatorre said the company plans to add an 18,000-square-foot addition to its medical facility in Land O' Lakes at some point. "We can't add any more physicians in Land O' Lakes right now, but the demand for more healthcare services continues to grow," Delatorre said."We've got more plans for the future in Pasco and northern Hillsborough." St. Joseph's Hospital-North Last year, the opening of St. Joseph's Hospital-North in Lutz was one of the healthcare highlights, and the new facility is still making additions. Besides adding many more doctors, sev- eral from Florida Medical Clinic, the Lutz facility just opened its own imaging center right next door - BayCare Outpatient Imaging Center, a full-service outpatient im- aging center. It is located at 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz in front of Kohl's. "It has already starting seeing patients," said hospital spokeswoman Jacqueline Farruggio."It will cut down on patient diag- nostic time." It offers services such as high-field MRI, multi-slice CT scans, digital mammography, digital X-rays and bone density scanning, ac- cording to Farruggio. Medical Center of Trinity In the west, the Medical Center of Trinity is set to open its doors in the fall. The project, which comes with a $210 million price tag, has been delayed several times. It was originally planned to be fin- ished in 2010, but issues with construction and permitting pushed the opening back. The new hospital will replace Community Hospital in downtown New Port Richey. i \/ Vijay Ferris MD, FACS has been appointed Florida Hospital Zephyrhills 2011-2012 Chief of Staff by his peers. Dr. Ferris has over twenty years of surgical experience in general and advanced laparoscopic surgery and is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. His practice specializes in breast surgery, laparoscopic surgery for reflux (heartburn), hernias, single incision laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, and small and large intestinal surgery. Please call 813.782.5801 for information or appointments. Locations: 38056 Daughtery Road, Zephyrhills, FL 13933 17th Street, Dade City, FL 2106 Ashley Circle, Wesley Chapel, FL SAND A/C INC. ( PROPANE GAS 'e 7988 813-782-5013 Sales * Service * Installation Lenny Bahr Kevin Bahr Owners �Aw FREE ESTIMATES TAAG on all installations A/C & Gas Up to $1500 Tax Credit 2010 * Call Us For Details! Visit Any Of Our 3 Locations For The Lowest Prices In Town! $1 OFF Propane Cylinder Fill SLimit one per person, per visit Expires 01-31-11 $5OFF A/C Maintenance Check Limit one per person, per visit Expires 01-31-11 ---------------------- $100 OFF New A/C Install SLimit one per person, per visit Expires 01-31-11 I . . . . . . .. . . . I THE LAKER / LUTZ NEWS * A LOOK AHEAD 6 1 January 5,2011 813-909-2800 / CnewsPubs.com