Polk Commission Approves Funds Toward New Lakeland Facility For Central Florida Health

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The capital campaign for the first of two new Central Florida Health Care medical facilities got a boost Tuesday as the Polk County Commission approved $799,075 for the nonprofit organization from funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Winter Haven-based CFHC is planning a Lakeland Health Center at 1129 Missouri Ave. near North Florida Avenue just west of Bryant Stadium. It’s at the site of its current Lakeland Primary Care facility, and the organization has launched a two-year capital campaign to raise funds for the $7 million project, according to its CEO Ann Claussen.

The planned three-story 25,000-square-foot facility, which could break ground within three months adjacent to the existing building, will eventually bring Lakeland Primary Care, Lakeland Pediatrics and Lakeland Hills Dental under one roof.

The existing Missouri Avenue clinic will stay open until all the other entities are moved in. The new facility is three to four months away from gaining a building permit from the city. Once the new one is built, the old building would be demolished for parking.

Construction is expected to be completed about one year from the groundbreaking.

Health care services will include adult and pediatric medical, dental, optometry, OB-GYN, behavioral health, Diabetes Center of Excellence, teaching kitchen and a drive-thru pharmacy. The organization also plans to expand behavioral-health services at the Lakeland location.

The combined square footage of the three facilities once they occupy the new Lakeland center will still add an additional 7,000 square feet for expanded patient care, said Sherrie Pratt, media and communications specialist at CFHC.

In 2022, the three clinics combined saw 16,680 patients, for a total of 49,921 visits, she said. This year, the facilities anticipate 17,100 patients and 53,200 visits.

The new Lakeland facility would be able to add 4,800 more patients and 15,000 visits once completed.

The second facility, which is also part of the capital campaign, will be in Winter Haven along First Street, also known as “hospital row.” It will be a much larger building because it will hold the CFHC administration offices as well as providing an expansion of patient care, including specialty care. The 120 administrators are currently working at multiple locations around Winter Haven.

The three-story project is estimated to cost between $18 million and $22 million to develop, Claussen said. This is because of the centralizing of administration and the addition of specialty care. Like Lakeland, a pharmacy drive-thru is also planned for Winter Haven.

Signed into law on March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act provided $350 billion in funding to assist state and local governments with the COVID-19 emergency. The act authorized the county to spend ARP funds to offset negative economic impacts of the pandemic, including assisting small businesses and nonprofits.

Claussen said they had responded to a request for proposals and they received $799,075 to supplement the capital campaign. Still, she wants the Lakeland facility first.

“It’s been a long time coming, and that location sees a lot of patients and it’s very tight in that space they are in right now,” she said.

The capital campaign began six months ago with the hope of securing donations within a two-year timeframe for the two projects and avoiding having to take out a loan for $6 million to pay for the Lakeland building.

Last year, the medical staff at CFHC saw a total of 70,000 patients for 220,000 visits. Patients include uninsured, underinsured and Medicaid and Medicare recipients as well as the region’s insured populations.

 

 

Source:  The Ledger

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Mixed Use Project Planned For Orlando Health’s South Seminole Hospital Site

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The South Seminole Hospital in Longwood will soon close, and Orlando Health will build a new healthcare hub in its place.

The hospital is located at 555 W. State Road 434, where it has been for 40 years. It sits next to Reiter Park, which has been referred to as Longwood’s crown jewel. City leaders think new plans for the property will be a good thing for the area and for business owners.

“We want it to be uniquely Longwood, but we also want to be in the future and modern like every other place,” Elijah Ramsay, owner of Back to Basic Barber Shop in Longwood said.

Ramsay is one of only a few business owners in the quiet, historic downtown Longwood area. He has owned the barber shop for six years, but there’s not a lot of foot traffic.

“You know you have Winter Park, and they have their little downtown area, and Altamonte has their little area, so we’ve been wondering how are we going to get something like that that would attract people to Longwood to build it up,” he said.

Ramsay thinks new plans for the city could be that “something.” Orlando Health announced it will close its South Seminole Hospital and tear it down by next year. A stand-alone emergency department will go in its place. Plans are also in the works for a mixed-use building on the property. It would possibly include restaurants, shops, and residential space. Orlando Health is working with city leaders on the plans.

“I have no doubt in my mind it’s going to be an enormous win for the city of Longwood,” Commissioner Matt Morgan, city of Longwood, said. “It’s going to make this historic district more of a walkable area. You’re going to get more of a downtown feel.”

More plans are also in the works. The city bought land behind the hospital with plans to build a new fire department. Renderings show it will be big enough to also house the police department. City leaders said that will open up space in the old buildings for even more business.

Ramsay hopes that business will only continue to grow.”If it could be something like Sanford where they have a downtown area where people feel like they can be comfortable, walk around, shop, and eat, then that would be great.”

Orlando Health expects construction on the emergency department to start sometime in 2023. The construction is expected to be complete by the summer of 2024.

 

Source:  Fox 35

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Mount Sinai New York Opens Facility At 360 Rosemary

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A New York-based health company has opened a personalized care facility at 360 Rosemary in downtown West Palm Beach.

The Mount Sinai New York-Concierge Care facility, on the ground level of 575 Fern, will start seeing patients May 17, said Alice Gresham, Mount Sinai Health System’s senior VP and COO of network practices.

The 5,850-square-foot facility includes 10 exam rooms, a dermatology spa and treatment room for cosmetic procedures and hydrofacials, an X-ray, a dermatological laser, and an ultrasound. It will also employ up to 20 people including physicians, nurses, and administrative. Its doctors practice concierge medicine, dermatology, nutrition, primary care, and cardiology.

The Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 43,000 employees, eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices and nearly 300 labs. It is a completely separate organization from Miami Beach-based Mount Sinai Medical Center.

 

Source:  SFBJ

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Medical Tech Firm Buys Dev Site In Palm Beach Gardens For $19M

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Medical technology firm Meso Scale Diagnostics paid $18.9 million for a development site in Palm Beach Gardens that was previously approved for a hospital.

An affiliate of Rockville, Maryland-based Meso Scale acquired the 9.1-acre assemblage at the southwest corner of PGA Boulevard and Ballenisles Boulevard, just east of Florida’s Turnpike, according to records and Vizzda.

The buyer obtained $18.2 million in seller financing.

The seller, an entity managed by John Clark Bills in Palm Beach Gardens, paid $996,300 for the vacant land in 2009, records show.

In 2021, Palm Beach Gardens approved a rezoning of the larger 7.2-acre parcel from residential to commercial. It also approved a site plan for two medical rehabilitation buildings with 80 beds, submitted by Encompass Health, a Birmingham, Alabama-based health care company. At the time, Encompass was under contract for the development site.

It is unclear why Bills and Encompass did not close the deal.

Meso Scale executives did not respond to emails requesting comment about the company’s plans for the vacant property. Led by CEO Jacob Wohlstadter, Meso Scale develops, manufactures, and markets instruments and materials for biological research and life sciences, according to the firm’s website.

Medical building development and sales in South Florida are seeing an uptick. Last month, Memorial Healthcare System paid $49 million for 8.2 acres in Hollywood. Memorial plans to redevelop a two-story grocery store and a 156,000-square-foot retail building on the property into a possible health and wellness center.

In January, Boyd Watterson Asset Management acquired a Veterans Affairs clinic in Sunrise for $38.2 million. The 111,000-square-foot outpatient clinic provides military veterans with primary care, cardiology, dental, mental health, neurology, orthopedics and women’s health services, according to its website.

In December, ABS National Business Parks paid $38 million for a Palm Beach Gardens two-building complex that includes medical offices. The joint venture bought Corporate Center at the Gardens at 4200-4400 Northcorp Parkway.

 

Source:  The Real Deal

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New State-Of-The-Art Health Park In Seminole County Opens

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A new state-of-the-art facility opened its doors on Monday, offering new options for specialty care to Seminole County residents.

The new AdventHealth Lake Mary Health Park is a three-story, 58,000-square-foot facility that offers a wide range of specialty practices, including gastroenterology, electrophysiology, lab services, diagnostic medical imaging, sports medicine and rehab, urology/UroGYN, breast surgery, general surgery and outpatient surgery.

“AdventHealth is a comprehensive and connected health care network dedicated to caring for our communities, which is why we are thrilled to expand and better serve Lake Mary and Seminole County residents,” said Jeff Villanueva, CEO for AdventHealth Altamonte Springs. “This innovative facility further establishes our commitment to provide convenient whole-person care close to home.”

The outpatient surgery center is set to open in late 2024 and will be located on the third floor, where patients will have access to screenings, biopsies and surgical intervention.

“We’re excited about the opening of the AdventHealth Lake Mary Health Park providing convenient specialty care and meeting the needs of this developing community,” said Joel George, executive director of retail services at AdventHealth. “With an emphasis on providing concierge-level service and a consumer-centric experience, our new health park is built for the modern world, making access to health care easy and friendly.”

The health park is located right next to the AdventHealth Lake Mary ER on Rinehart Road.

Even before patients walk through the door of this new facility, they will be able to schedule appointments, complete registration and talk to their providers online.

Patients will be greeted by an engagement specialist that will offer a personalized experience that is tailored to their needs.

AdventHealth opened its first health park, in Osceola County, in August 2020.

Since then, two other parks have opened in Clermont and Port Orange.

 

Source:  WFTV 9

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