Florida Family Practice Has Two Locations Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel

Dr. Ronald Manalo, M.D., offers caring, personalized service for those who want to truly develop a relationship with their primary care doctor. Visit him at his Wesley Chapel office or at his Tampa location on E. Fletcher Ave.

Ronald S. Manalo, M.D., opened Florida Family Practice less than a year ago, seeing patients at both his Wesley Chapel office (in the Cypress Glen Professional Center off S.R. 56 near I-75), and in his Tampa office on E. Fletcher Ave.

Dr. Manalo and his family have lived in Wesley Chapel for the last several years. His wife, Dr. Hoka Nyanda, practices with a local dermatology group. They moved here when she began practicing a few years ago, even while he did his residency at the Mercer School of Medicine in Macon, GA. He finished in 2015, then worked as a hospitalist at Navicent Health Hospital in Macon for a year before making the transition to living full-time in Wesley Chapel and opening his private practice here.

“I love Wesley Chapel,” he says. “It’s great. It’s not busy like Tampa. It’s nice and quiet, but has a lot of growth and potential to grow, and I look forward to growing with the community.”

He says opening his practice is the culmination of many years of hard work and planning.

“Since medical school, it’s been my dream to own my own practice,” he says. He received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from Meharny Medical College in Nashville, TN, in 2010. Prior to that, he earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, GA, in 2001.

Now, Dr. Manalo is a family practice physician who sees people in all life stages, from infant to geriatric.

“As a family doctor, you grow with your patients,” he says. “You get to know them, and they become part of your family, too.”

While many parents choose to take their children to a pediatrician, the whole family can see one doctor at Florida Family Practice. Dr. Manalo says anything a pediatrician can do, he can do, too, but a patient who comes to him as a child doesn’t have to transition to a different doctor when they reach a certain age.

“I recently saw a husband and wife who brought their infant to me,” he says. “They’re a young couple, just starting their family, and it’s just a joy. It is really rewarding to take care of the whole family.”

He says his practice is different than what’s typical in our area these days.

“We’re personal, patient, caring and compassionate,” Dr. Manalo explains. “You’re not here for a certain time slot and then out the door.”

Instead, he adds, “We want to get to know you. When you come to see me, it’s not just about your diabetes or high blood pressure, but you as a whole person. We treat your whole body and we get to know you well.” Dr. Manalo believes that this whole person philosophy, “promotes wellness within.”

He also says that he and his office administrator Dayna Yannello are always building these types of relationships with their patients and creating a different atmosphere in the practice. “As a new practice,” he says, “we have the ability to take time with the patients we see, and to really get to know (them). (We’re) unlike other practices around here.”

Happy, Healthy Patients

José Bernardo and his wife, Lillian Ayala, agree that Florida Family Practice is unique. “When we moved here from Puerto Rico six years ago, we came from a different culture, where it’s more of a family relationship built with you and your kids,” José says. “Our experience here with doctors is that it’s been impersonal, and the feeling that your doctor cares about you just hasn’t been there.”

But, José explains, “Dr. Manalo is completely different from that. He cares. He follows up, emails you, calls you. And, Dayna is amazing. They have been available for us on the weekend, after work hours. We have not been able to find this type of treatment and care from anybody else, and we have tried plenty.”

Dr. Manalo explains it this way: “For me personally, the care and services I provide to my patients is a partnership or a trust. A lot of doctors say, ‘do this, take this,’ and that’s that. I like to have more of an open dialogue. We’re developing a relationship; it’s not one-sided where I’m the boss telling the patient what to do.”

He says his dream to own his own  medical practice is rooted in caring for his community. “I’m getting to know communities and families and want to be the best doctor I can be,” he says. “My vision is to streamline medicine. Some people don’t think primary care is necessary. In the future, I hope to combine family practice and urgent care, so that people who come in just for urgent care can get the follow up they need from a family practice doctor.”

In a way, he says, his office already functions similarly to an urgent care facility. “If you need a sick visit, we can accommodate that.”

The practice offers same-day visits, so you don’t have to schedule months in advance, and you can even schedule online, through FLFamilyPractice.com.

Florida Family Practice is currently seeing patients at the Fletcher Ave. office on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in Wesley Chapel on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Saturday and after-hours appointments are sometimes available, if needed.

“I’m here and I’m available,” Dr. Manalo says. “I have a new vision of how a practice should be. You can reach us by phone, email or text, and you won’t have to wait several days to hear back from the doctor. You’ll see it as you get to know us. Community is key.”

Florida Family Practice’s Wesley Chapel office is located at 2412 Cypress Glen Dr., Suite 102, and its Tampa office is at 3450 E. Fletcher Ave., Suite 330. For more information, visit FLFamilyPractice.com, or call (813) 812-4133.

New hotel, retail, restaurants coming to Cypress Creek Town Center

Earth Fare pledges that it only sells products that are free of high fructose corn syrup, added hormones, bleached or bromated flour, antibiotics and artificial fats, colors, preservatives and sweeteners.

The Hyatt Place Hotel and Convention Center is expected to open in July, and according to Impact Properties president Dilip Kanji, combined what will follow soon after will make the Cypress Creek Town Center the place to be in Wesley Chapel.

At the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Economic Development Briefing on Thursday, Kanji announced that organic grocer Earthfare, as well as Stein Mart, Chipotle, HomeGoods and other long-anticipated retail stores and restaurants, are heading to the north side of S.R. 56, directly across from Tampa Premium Outlets.

“You may (already) know this, but I have permission to release this,” Kanji said, to the delight of a few dozen local business leaders at Hunter’s Green Golf & Country Club.

Kanji said a number of previously undisclosed but rumored businesses will be popping up along the bustling S.R. 56 strip being developed by the Sierra family. Those include:

Earth Fare: One of the boutique, or organic, food stores many in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa have been clamoring for. Earth Fare pledges that it only sells products that are free of high fructose corn syrup, added hormones, bleached or bromated flour, antibiotics and artificial fats, colors, preservatives and sweeteners. The nearest store is roughly 20 miles away in Oldsmar, and most recent store – the company’s 46th – opens Saturday in Bradenton.

Stein Mart: Department store that touts big savings on designer brands. The company closed its store in Tampa Palms in 2015.

Chipotle Mexican Grill: A chain of fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations and something of a cult following. It has a location in New Tampa at The Walk at Highwoods Preserve, and specializes in burritos, tacos, bowls and salads.

HomeGoods: HomeGoods will be joining what will be a crowded market for home fashions, including kitchen and bath items, rugs, lighting and furniture, as an At Home is planned for the south side of S.R. 56 behind Costco, and a Cost Plus World Market should be opening soon at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

Total Wine & More: The largest U.S. independent retailer of fine wine has three locations in Tampa Bay – Tampa, Brandon and Clearwater.

Hobby Lobby: An arts and craft store with more than 800 locations in 47 states, it has been rumored to be coming since showing up on as a Cypress Creek tenant on a retail flier in 2016. This would b the third Pasco County location, joining stores in Zephyrhills and New Port Richey.

Golf Galaxy: Formerly known as Golfsmith before being acquired by DICK’s, 36 new Golf Galaxy stores, which sell the latest golf equipment, apparel and accessories, opened last summer, including one on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Lutz.

The sports-themed bar now is only located in Texas and Louisiana but is expanding all over the southeast, including nine locations in Florida.

Walk-On Bistreaux and Bar: Founded by a pair of former walk-on basketball players on the Louisiana State University basketball team in 2003, Walk-On was named by ESPN is 2012 as the No. 1 Sports Bar in America. New Orleans Saints quarterback Dree Brees joined the ownership team in 2015, and the sports-themed bar now is only located in Texas and Louisiana but is expanding all over the southeast, including nine locations in Florida.

Blaze Pizza: The California-based fast-casual chain touts its freshly and daily-made dough, signature sauce and fast-firing create-your-own pizzas (hence the name).

“In April, they will start clearing ground,” Kanji said. “It will be 330,000-sq.-ft. of retail space that will be built.”

Blaze Pizza: The California-based fast-casual chain touts its freshly and daily-made dough, signature sauce and fast-firing create-your-own pizzas.

Other businesses Kanji mentioned have also been reported in the Neighborhood News. They include Dick’s Sporting Good (most likely a fusion of DICK’s and Field & Stream, one of the company’s subsidiaries), PetSmart and Burlington Coat Factory, which are already in the permitting phase.

Restaurants that are already under construction and expected to open by the summer: Chuy’s Tex-Mex and Bahama Breeze Island Grille. Mellow Mushroom, a specialty pizza place, opened in mid-January.

Kanji said the explosion of new businesses on the Sierra properties is why he wanted to build the Hyatt Place and Convention Center of Wesley Chapel there. He said he has had his eye on Wesley Chapel for a number of years, but saw most of the potential west of S.R. 56.

“When we looked at the hotel site, we could have gone on the other (east) side, we could have gone on Bruce B. Downs, but this is where we wanted to be,” Kanji said. “I mean, where else would you stay if you’re in Wesley Chapel than right there. Walking distance to restaurants, shopping, entertainment. Within walking distance (of so many things), that’s what today’s traveler wants.”

 

Tampa Premier League Sets Site On Local Home

Naufil Keshwani batting at Rodney Colson Park. (Photo by Nagesh Nayak)

Nagesh Nayak is on a mission.

The Tampa Premier League (TPL) president, a K-Bar Ranch resident, has taken his power point presentation to Hillsborough and Pasco county commissioners, emailed and spoken to local politicians, shown up at town halls and, even in the midst of the heated budget battle last year, where Tampa City Council members argued over spending, Nayak stood up and asked for money to build what to him seems logical.

A cricket field in the New Tampa or Wesley Chapel area.

Sure, he says, land is sparse these days. Business development of what land is available takes precedence. But, look around New Tampa, in places like Cory Lake Isles, Arbor Greene and Tampa Palms, and you might notice Tampa Bay’s largest concentration of Indian residents.

Their game is cricket, and they would like a place to play it.

“So much of the population would be interested,” Nayak says.

A large portion of the more than 26,000 or so households in New Tampa’s 33647 zip code are of Indian and Asian descent, a number Nayak says he believes may be as high as 10 percent. Another zip code with a heavy Indian population, 33620, borders New Tampa at the University of South Florida.

In fact, the USF Cricket Club, founded by TPL chairman Satish Hanumanthu in 2007, is one of the top programs in the American College Cricket (ACC) league. The ACC, founded in 2009, has more than 70 teams, and holds its national championship in South Florida during spring break.

Nagesh Nayak (right) and Satish Hanumanthu, two of the leaders in an effort to bring cricket fields to New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. (Photo by John C. Cotey)

“USF has won 80 percent of the (collegiate) tournaments it has played in,” Hanumanthu says.

“I would safely say, without any disrespect to anyone, you could safely call us the (New England) Patriots of college cricket,” Nayak adds.

The program is so esteemed, Hanumanthu says, that the club is often the deciding factor for Indian students coming to attend college in the U.S.

“It helps them choose USF over other universities,” he says. “It’s important they have a place to play.”

Nayak feels the same way about the New Tampa (and Wesley Chapel) Indian population, which he says continues to grow and includes the Tampa Palms Cricket Club, which Nayak says has roughly 80 members.

The TPL, which has 18 teams of roughly 22-25 players each – 65 percent of whom live in New Tampa — currently plays many of its matches on a small field at Hamilton Park near Tampa International Airport, but it has no lights and can be an hour drive from this area.

“We would really like two fields with lights,” Nayak says.

Nayak sees a cricket field — which is a rectangular pitch (like a baseball infield) surrounded by a large oval field (like a baseball outfield) — offering a recreational opportunity for adults to play and teach their children the sport they grew up playing, like U.S.-born families do with baseball, basketball and football. He has already looked into attracting new players from Freedom and Wharton high schools, and has led some youth clinics teaching the sport.

He also sees a permanent field as a business opportunity, as some of the U.S.’s largest cricket tournaments can draw tens of thousands of spectators over the course of a weekend, filling hotel rooms and local businesses.

About The Game…

Cricket has many nuances but most closely resembles baseball, in that the object is to score runs by hitting a ball thrown by a pitcher, or in cricket parlance, a bowler, who hurls it on one bounce towards a wicket. There are 11 fielders, and the batsman continues to hit until he makes an out (or is dismissed).

A batted ball that makes it through the defense on the ground and to the boundary of the field is worth four runs. A ball hit over the boundary in the air, like a baseball home run, is worth six.

Ashish Rawat Bowling at Rodney Colson Park. (Photo by Nagesh Nayak)

Championed by Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham, the county, at a cost of $800,000, opened its first designated cricket fields at Evans Park in Mango back in 2015, and there also is a dedicated cricket field at Rodney Colson Park in Seffner.

Nayak has had discussions with Tampa’s District 7 City Councilman Luis Viera, and asked Viera and Hillsborough County District 5 Commissioner Ken Hagan at a town hall last year about making room for a cricket field at a potential K-Bar Ranch park being developed by the city and county on roughly 60 acres of land.

Hagan said it sounded like a good idea, while Viera has promised to look into it. But otherwise, Nayak says, the response from Tampa and Hillsborough County has been lukewarm.

Go North, Young Cricketers?

But, just north in Wesley Chapel, Nayak has found a friend in District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, who sees the potential in a cricket field, from a business perspective, and also a chance to please a large base of his constituents.

Moore likens the game to lacrosse, which he says has grown from being a niche sport to one of the most popular youth games in America. And, with Pasco County’s focus on capturing a big chunk of the sports tourism market, he sees it as another opportunity to potentially fill hotel rooms

Moore put Nayak and Hanumanthu in contact with RADD Sports, the Clearwater-based sports facility management & development company that is building a large indoor/outdoor sports facility, with a Residence Inn by Marriott hotel on site, in Wiregrass Ranch.

“I definitely think there is potential (for cricket) to do very well,’’ Moore says.

Until then, Moore and the county have provided a large patch of currently unused land that is designated for future development behind the soccer fields at Wesley Chapel District Park (WCDP) for Nayak and his league.

The TPL poured $20,000 into removing the dirt and replacing it with rocks and clay to create the pitch, as bowlers throw their pitches on one-bounce to the batsman and need a smooth, hard and level surface. They say the field is still a work in progress, but they are hugely appreciative of Moore’s efforts to help.

In fact, TPL will host the Wesley Chapel Invitational Championship February 3-4, at their makeshift home. The  Minnesota Strykers Club, three-time MN Cricket Association Champions, will compete against the Tampa Stars and USF Bulls. Nayak says the Minnesota team will be staying at the Wesley Chapel Holiday Inn Express, showing the sports’ potential value to sports tourism. Nayak hopes it is the start of something big.

For additional information, visit Tampa-cricket.com.

Let The Husband-and-Wife Doctors At Small World Pediatrics Care For Your Kids

Together, José Jiménez, M.D., and Nancy Silva, M.D., are two local pediatricians who care for many young patients at Small World Pediatrics in Wesley Chapel.

More than just partners in practice, they’re partners in life, too — as husband and wife, and Dad and Mom to two kids, ages 12 and three.

They’re part of this community, as Meadow Pointe residents for 15 years, with their kids attending local schools. They think that’s part of what makes Small World Pediatrics special.

“It’s much more personal here,” says Dr. Silva. “We have fun. Our patients know our staff, and know us. We run into people in the community and see our patients at Publix.”

Dr. Jiménez earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1992, after transferring from prestigious Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He earned a Doctor of Medicine  (M.D.) degree from the University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine in Tampa in 1996, and completed his pediatric residency at USF in 2000.

Dr. Silva earned her M.D. degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center in Brooklyn in 1997, after earning a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in an Honors B.S./M.D. program at City University of New York (CUNY) Brooklyn College in 1993. Like Dr. Jiménez, she also completed her residency at USF in 2000.

Small World Pediatrics is located in the Windguard Professional Center across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC). Dr. Jiménez first opened Small World Pediatrics in 2003 in the Northwoods plaza on BBD in Wesley Chapel, near Target, and moved it to its current location in 2010.

Dr. Silva joined the practice in 2014, after the couple’s second child was born. She had been practicing with a group in Brandon for 14 years, but — with two small kids — wanted a job closer to home and with more flexibility than working full-time somewhere else.

She and her husband have been working together ever since.

“Most patients don’t realize it, but they’re really getting a ‘2-for-1 deal’ when they come here,” Dr. Silva says. “We bounce ideas off each other. We can give (each other) a second opinion.”

They also share a philosophy to provide personal service.

“Some people want to get in and get out and get their antibiotics and be on their way in five minutes,” says Dr. Silva. “But, for those people who want more of a parent/child connection, and don’t want to feel like a number, those are the patients who should come to us.”

Dr. Silva says her best medical advice for your children is to get annual physicals.

“Even if your kid is fine, please get an annual physical,” she says. “We recently had a seven-year-old patient we had only seen for sick visits since he was two, and we found he had undescended testicles. We discover so much in those physicals, from vision problems to scoliosis.”

While it does take a little time, the annual check-up likely won’t cost you any money.

“It’s very rare to see a co-pay on a well check these days,” says Dr. Jiménez.

At Small World Pediatrics, caring for children and their parents is always the highest priority.

“We try to do our absolute best for our patients,” explains Dr. Jiménez. “When there are tough decisions to make, we try to always do what’s right for the child, and we always take time for the parents.”

For example, the office doesn’t have an answering service.

“All after-hours calls are forwarded to my cell phone, where patients may leave a message,” says Dr. Jiménez. “I return all calls personally.”

And, they don’t just send patients to the emergency room, either. The doctors will call ahead to notify the hospital that a patient is coming and make sure the medical records are transferred appropriately.

They also invite their patients to call them if they’re not sure whether they should head to the emergency room – or which one to go to. “It may be that you should go to St. Joseph’s, where they have pediatric ER doctors and surgeons on call, or you might need to go to Florida Hospital, which is a lot closer,” Dr. Silva says. “Just call us and we’ll guide you.”

Happy Patients…Happy Parents

Christina M’Gaha is a Wesley Chapel mom with four children and one more on the way. She has been taking her kids to Small World Pediatrics for 11 years, since her oldest was just six months old.

“What I love is that it’s not just a doctor’s practice,” she says. “They treat you like you’re family.”

She explains, “They remember your name. If they see you in the store, they call you by name. They ask about my husband even though he’s not usually there (at the appointments). They get to know the whole family.”

Christina says Dr. Jiménez and Dr. Silva have both gone above and beyond for her family, such as the time she called Dr. Jiménez after hours and he met her at the office 15 minutes later, rather than sending her to an urgent care facility. Another time, Christina says Dr. Silva made a house call when a plumbing issue closed the Small World Pediatrics office temporarily.

“I used to think it was just me they treated like family,” says Christina. “Now I see that they really care about all their patients.”

Dr. Jiménez says that’s the way he wants it to be. “I’m a small town guy, so I like seeing people I know at the supermarket,” he says. As a pediatrician in this community for 14 years now, that happens pretty often.

As for his personal care, he says. “I’m proud and honored that patients have stayed with me and many have been here since the beginning.”

Dr. Jiménez and Dr. Silva are involved in the community they serve. Dr. Silva recently became a Boy Scout leader with their son’s troop. Previously, both doctors were Cub Scout leaders, and Dr. Silva was active with the Sand Pine Elementary PTA.

They also are advocates for wearing seatbelts, which began with a very personal story, as Dr. Silva lost a patient due to an automobile accident in 2006. Dr. Jiménez and Dr. Silva began “The Battle of the Belts” in Pasco County in 2009, partnering with Pasco Safe Kids, a seatbelt awareness campaign involving all of the high schools in Pasco County each spring. Schools compete to effectively deliver the message to students. Small World Pediatrics is the sole sponsor of the event this year.

The doctors also have worked to help pass seatbelt laws in both 2009 and 2014.

All of their efforts in the community, to raise their family, and to take excellent care of their patients are things they do together. “We trade off with both kids and work, and I like it,” says Dr. Silva. “I like that someone always has my back, and in this case, it’s my husband.”

Small World Pediatrics is located is at 2527 Windguard Circle, Suite 102, and is open Mon. – Fri., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, visit SmallWorldPediatrics.com, see the ad on page 6 or call (813) 907-8001.

The Beach House At Wiregrass  Ranch For Assisted Living & Memory Care

The Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care at Wiregrass Ranch administrative team: (from left) business office manager Chelsea Rice, director of community relations Callie Sears, and executive director Linda Mena.

Wesley Chapel families who want to live near their aging loved ones who require more health and daily living support than can be provided at home will have a new option when Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care at Wiregrass Ranch holds its Grand Opening next month. Even though it’s at least an hour from the nearest beach, the name Beach House is intended to evoke memories of the many splendid summers experienced over a lifetime.

The new 93,000-sq.-ft. facility includes 100 residential units, with 67 of them available for seniors looking for assisted living accommodations and 33 suites dedicated to residents who need memory care, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

Housing options for assisted living residents range from alcove-style units (basically a studio apartment with a partitioned-off area) ranging from 450-480 sq. ft. to two-bedroom/two-bath floor plans ranging from 782–796 sq. ft.

As the first full-service assisted living and memory care facility located in Wesley Chapel, the Beach House offers a number of levels of accommodations and services to its residents, ranging from assisted living (where the Beach House staff provides help with a variety of daily activities, such as shopping and medication management) to memory care programs to support memory function, including discussion groups centered on reminiscing about the past, discussing current events and studying languages and cultures.

The Wesley Chapel location joins two existing Beach House facilities in Jacksonville and Naples, FL. They are all owned by the Dallas, TX-based Prevarian Senior Living, LP, which has Assisted Living and Memory Care communities in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Arizona.

Coming soon to S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel: The Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch Assisted Living & Memory Care.

Day-to-day operations at the Beach House are managed by employees of Life Care Services, a Los Angeles, CA-based company serving the needs of more than 33,000 senior citizens at facilities throughout the U.S.

Overseeing all aspects of the Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch’s daily operations is executive director Linda Mena, who brings to her position more than 25 years of experience working in senior housing.

Mena earned her Bachelor of Health Care Administration (BHA) from the University of Phoenix, AZ. In 2015, Mena received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a focus on Health Care Administration, from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Prior to assuming her role in Wesley Chapel, Mena was the executive director of the Beach House facility in Naples, FL.

Mena refers to the lifestyle offered at Beach House as “resort-style senior living.”

Assisted living amenities include outstanding group and private dining options, arts and crafts, a movie theater, wellness programs, grooming/haircuts and fireplaces. Memory care amenities include a variety of personal and social dining settings and dietary options to choose from, as well as activities that focus on the patient’s remaining physical abilities, memories and capability to enjoy them throughout what Mena calls, “the attrition of life.” There also is a secure outdoor area for memory care residents.

That means assisting a wide range of residents. “We go from an independent resident to end-of-life needs,” Mena says.

The Full Spectrum Of Care

To deliver services to that wide range of residents, Beach House is licensed as an Extended Congregate Care (ECC) facility, which according to the Florida Department of Elder Affairs website (ElderAffairs.state.fl.us) certifies Beach House’s ability to  cover the spectrum of needed care, from limited assistance to total help with many basic needs. According to Mena, Beach House will be staffed to provide 24/7 nursing care.

“They truly can age in place in our community and that’s important to residents,” Mena says. “With the attrition of life, their needs become much greater and they don’t want to have to move or make a transition at that frail part of their lives.”

Mena notes that 85 percent of the people she and her administrative staff will work with are adult children of prospective residents. She recognizes that many of them are knowledgeable about the process and options available, but family members also provide a clear picture of their loved one’s character and history to help in meeting daily needs and creating a meaningful program of activities for them.

“It’s really important that we listen when they come in,” says Mena, who adds that knowing as much as possible about the residents, especially those in memory care, helps the staff engage with them more effectively. As part of those conversations with residents and family members, Mena makes a commitment on behalf of her Beach House staff to those they serve at what can be a very rough time of their lives.

“There are a lot of mentoring, assisting, and bonding relationships established because it’s the trust factor that makes this transition, if you want to say, ‘smoother,’ for this caregiver,” says Mena. “My guiding principle is to just be very transparent, honest and forthright with them.”

She adds that the goal for herself and her staff of Beach House is clear.

“Making sure the needs of the residents are met in every aspect,” Mena says, ‘from the clinical to the dining experience to life enrichment; really addressing the needs of each resident as a whole.”

Beach House is a private pay operation, which means they do not accept insurance plan coverage, and the cost is borne by residents or their families. Medicaid payments are not accepted. While Beach House does not accept payments directly from the insurance companies, If residents or their families have long-term care insurance, it will, as a courtesy, send the insurance company billing information so the families can be reimbursed by the insurance company.

Mena says costs will vary, depending upon the specific support needs of each patient, which are evaluated annually.

With a location that’s convenient to many of Wesley Chapel’s commercial and cultural activities, such as the Shops at Wiregrass mall only 2.5 miles to the west on S.R. 56, a Beach House residency means families can easily embark on multi-generational excursions with their loved ones residing there.

Temporary Assistance, Too

The Beach House lifestyle also is available on a temporary basis for what is known as “respite care,” which according to the Beach House website, “is a temporary stay at a senior living community.”

Senior patients recovering from surgery or illness may find temporary support helpful in their recovery. Caregivers of people normally residing outside of Beach House may also find that respite care is a way to manage vacations or just get a helping hand with assisted living and memory care levels of support. Respite residents at the Beach House will have access to the same services as other longer-term residents with whom social interaction also is part of the routine.

Whether seniors are residing at Beach House for a short respite or  to “age in place,” meals are an important part of daily living and socializing as well as supporting a healthy lifestyle.

According to the Beach House website, the chef-created recipes use “fresh, seasonal, local ingredients” and “accommodate any special dietary requirements.”

Beach House not only brings new housing and health care options to Wesley Chapel, it’s also creating jobs, especially in the areas of patient care at the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) level, as well as housekeeping and dietary workers.

Mena says the response from the Wesley Chapel area has been tremendously positive and that 30 percent of the units had deposits paid on them at our press time.

If you’re looking for assisted living for yourself or a loved one, arrange a tour at the new Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch (30070 S.R. 56). For more info, call (813) 508-6677, see the ad on pg. 31 or visit BeachHouseWiregrass.com. Beach House’s official Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce Grand Opening is Wednesday, February 21, 11 a.m., with the ribbon cutting scheduled for noon.