By Tamas Mondovics
BayCare executives, local chamber members, elected officials and community members gathered last month for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the health care provider’s newest, one-of-its-kind facility.
Promoted as a new model of health care, the wellness destination is designed to fit residents’ lifestyle and needs, and is a $53 million community investment named BayCare HealthHub at Bloomingdale, 2470 Bloomingdale Ave., behind the former Albertsons supermarket in Valrico.
BayCare officials proudly explained that the 115,000-sq. ft. two-story wellness center sitting on a 21-acre campus is scheduled to open early 2019 and is said to integrate traditional health care services such as primary care, pediatrics, rehabilitation, imaging and laboratories with fitness classes, nutrition education and like-minded retailers to promote healthy living.
Patients are promised to experience a streamlined visit from the moment they walk in the door as they check in just once at a central registration desk for multiple health and wellness services.
“With BayCare HealthHub at Bloomingdale, we’re creating a new model for health care,” said Jim Cote, senior vice president for Ambulatory Services at BayCare Health System, after welcoming a large crowd that gathered for the ceremony. “This facility will be a one-stop destination–incorporating technology and convenience to not just treat symptoms, but also to help keep families healthier.”
Cote specifically mentioned the facility’s no-waiting room concept of a doctor’s office promoting a single registration where patients check in just once for multiple services at the central registration desks.
“We have created this wellness destination with one goal in mind – to keep residents in the greater Brandon area healthy and prevent symptoms before they happen,” Cote said.
The new campus will include a half-mile walking trail, a serenity garden, free parking and valet.
Emphasizing BayCare’s investment in the community, St.Joseph’s Hospital president for Hillsborough and East Pasco counties Kimberly Guy commented, not only about the health but also the economic benefits that the new facility is promising to bring when she said, “The HealthHub at Bloomingdale will bring 150 new jobs. We are truly investing in the continued success of this community.”
BayCare, a not-for-profit health care system currently boasts of providing individuals and families a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions.
Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness.
For information, visit www.BayCare.org.
