Riverchase Dermatology Expands Again With Its New Tampa Palms Office

The staff of Riverchase Dermatology, located in the Palm Lake at Tampa Palms office building off of Amberly Dr., includes Board-certified physician assistant Kim Siders (front left) and Baord-certified dermatologist Dr. Salma Pothiawala (front right).

Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, a regional practice with 27 offices throughout Florida, acquired Tampa Palms Dermatology in March of this year. Along with Board-certified physician assistant Kimberly Siders, PA-C, who has been there since 2014, Riverchase Dermatology has added two practitioners — Milan Lombardi, M.D., and Salma Pothiawala, M.D.

Located in the Palm Lake at Tampa Palms office building off of Amberly Dr., Riverchase Dermatology promises to offer the same quality dermatology services patients have come to know and trust from Tampa Palms Dermatology, which was founded 30 years ago by Ruth Hanno, M.D.

“Dr. Hanno built an incredible practice and, along with Kimberly Siders, they have established an excellent reputation in the community,” says Andrew T. Jaffe, MD, FAAD, who is the founder, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery. Riverchase was founded in 2000 in Naples, getting its name from the street where that first office was located.

In Tampa Palms, Dr. Hanno has retired from private practice and has shifted her focus exclusively to dermatopathology, while Siders has joined the Riverchase team and will continue to see her established patients and welcome new ones.

Siders has more than 10 years of experience. She started her medical career at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Nutritional Sciences in 2003. In 2006, she earned a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Health Sciences/Physician Assistant Studies at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, and began specializing in dermatology.

For Dr. Hanno’s former patients, the transition has been seamless. “My wife and I were previously patients of Dr. Hanno but (we) have been seeing Kim Siders for about a year and a half,” says Bob Dolan. “We both find Kim extremely thorough. She follows through very carefully if there are any issues during an exam.”

Bob also appreciates how quickly he gets in for his appointments, which are every few months. “I never have to wait more than 10 minutes from the time I get there until the time she sees me,” he says. “I’m out of there in a matter of 15 or 20 minutes.”

Elaine Stewart also is a former patient of Dr. Hanno’s who is now happily seeing Dr. Pothiawala. “You know how difficult it can be to change doctors, but I was so pleased,” she says. “She put me at ease right away. I’ve already recommended her to a couple of my friends.”

New & Expanded Services

The addition of Dr. Lombardi and Dr. Pothiwala to the office expands the offerings available to patients.

“Now, we have more services,” says Siders. “With Dr. Lombardi, we have a surgeon, so we don’t have to send patients offsite for Mohs surgery (Note-see below for an explanation of Mohs surgery and information about cosmetic procedures available at Riverchase Dermatology.)

And, Dr. Pothiawala does cosmetic procedures, so we can offer a lot more than we used to.”

Since Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery acquired the former Tampa Palms Dermatology in March, the practice now offers cosmetic procedures, such as Botox and dermal fillers.

Dr. Lombardi specializes in Mohs surgery for skin cancer. He joined Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery in 2016, after graduating in 2008 with his M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York City. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Physics from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, which he earned in 2004. His postgraduate medical training included Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. He also worked as a research fellow at Cornell University Medical College, studying the immune system of the skin.  Dr. Lombardi then completed his residency in Dermatology at the Washington University School of Medicine-Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and also received extensive training in both cutaneous surgery and laser surgery.

“Mohs surgery is a method for certain skin cancers to be removed based on the type of cancer, how aggressive it is, or the location of it,” explains Dr. Lombardi. “The purpose is to make sure you get the entire cancer out with a high degree of accuracy, while taking the smallest amount of (healthy) tissue.”

He also explains that the procedure starts with him removing what is visible to the naked eye, then the patient waits while he checks that tissue under a microscope. He then takes additional tissue, if needed, and checks again. He says it takes a couple of hours — up to half a day — but patients leave knowing the entire lesion has been removed.

“It’s a very efficient way of clearing skin cancer,” Dr. Lombardi explains, saying that it is performed “anywhere the conservation of tissue is important,” especially on the patient’s face.

Claudia Candella recently saw Dr. Lombardi for this type of procedure. “He was very personable with a great bedside manner,” she says. “He was very concerned about getting it right.”

Dr. Pothiawala joined Riverchase in 2017. She completed the combined B.S./M.D. program at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she earned a B.S. degree in Biomedical Sciences as well as her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2009. She then moved to Boston to study at the Harvard School of Public Health and received a Master of Public Health degree in 2010. Dr. Pothiawala then spent four years at USF, completing an internship in Internal Medicine and a residency in Dermatology, which she completed in 2014. She then moved to New York City, where she practiced for two years, before returning home to the Tampa Palms area.

“I was in a practice in Manhattan that was very focused on providing cosmetic services,” Dr. Pothiawala explains. “That was the majority of my work for those two years. The practice had cutting-edge technology and used the latest techniques. Some of that is now available at Riverchase, and some of that we’re going to add going forward.”

She says that some of those cosmetic procedures that are now available at Riverchase Dermatology, include Botox, injectable fillers and microneedling (a type of skin rejuvenation procedure that increases collagen and plumps and smooths the skin). “We are expanding our services,” she says, “so our office is a good place to come to take care of all of your dermatologic needs.”

Dr. Pothiawala says she also sees patients for their general dermatology needs, and expects that will continue to be most of her practice. However, she wants to be sure to get the word out that cosmetic procedures are now available at Riverchase.

“I think it’s really important to know that if you come to us for cosmetic procedures, you’re getting it done by a Board-certified dermatologist, who has been trained for years in this type of practice,” she says. “You’re going to someone who’s had formal medical training, as opposed to someone who’s just done weekend courses.”

Riverchase Dermatology in Tampa Palms is located at 15310 Amberly Dr., Suite 150. For more information, see the ad on page 41 or visit RiverchaseDermatology.com. To make an appointment, call the office at (813) 978-8888.

SPOTLIGHT ON…Beach House Assisted Living!

When the Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care (located on S.R. 56, a half-mile east of Mansfield Blvd.) opens in January, it will include 100 residences and will be Wesley Chapel’s first full-service assisted living and memory care facility.

“We’re bringing resort-style senior living to (Wesley Chapel),” says executive director Linda Mena. “It’s a very comfortable environment.”

She says it’s called Beach House because it is intended to remind people of fond memories of summers past.

“We are also building memories,” she says, “and want to help our residents make new memories.”

The residences vary from “alcove” apartments to two-bedroom, two-bathroom units. Right now, Beach House is accepting deposits to hold a spot in the new facility, and Mena says it is already about 30-percent occupied.

Of the 100 residences, 33 are specifically designated for memory care.

“We have an amazing memory care program called Heartfelt Connections,” she says, “celebrating what’s left and not focusing on what’s been lost.”

Amenities in the 93,000-sq.-ft. Beach House include restaurant-style fine dining, a movie theater, full-service beauty salon and barber shop, arts & crafts studio, shuffleboard, and a putting green.

“We have many beautiful outside courtyards, covered porches, and a lot of common area space for residents,” Mena adds, saying that the activities at the Beach House are chosen by the residents, as well.

“We don’t do cookie cutter activities,” she says. “We don’t just do BINGO. We have a preliminary schedule, but it changes along with the audience it serves. If no one wants to play BINGO, we’ll do something else.”

Mena adds that every aspect of care is designed to meet the needs of each individual person who chooses to call Beach House his or her home.

“We offer resident-centered, focused care,” Mena says. “From our dining menu to meeting (our residents’) clinical needs to socialization, we personalize every aspect for each resident.”

Mena invites people looking for assisted living for themselves or a loved one to visit the Beach House offsite sales office at 2754 Windguard Circle, Suite 101  (located across Bruce B. Downs Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel) to see the current pre-construction promotions. For more information, call (813) 358-0554 or visit BeachHouseWiregrass.com.

Wesley Chapel Families Love KidsPark’s Drop-In, Hourly Childcare

In a little more than a year, KidsPark Tampa (located just off of S.R. 56, east of I-75, in Wesley Chapel) has registered nearly 1,500 families — totaling 2,800 kids — looking for the support and flexibility that no-reservation, drop-in childcare gives them.

“The numbers here have blown away all the other KidsPark centers,” says Amanda Justus, the owner of KidsPark Tampa. “In May, we received the ‘Shooting Star’ award for fastest growth within a year among Kids Park centers nationally.”

KidsPark also has been nominated for the 2017 Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce New Business of the Year.

KidsPark is a national franchise, with just three locations in Florida (two are in Jacksonville). There will soon be four, as Amanda has recently signed a franchise agreement for a second location. While she’s still looking for the perfect place, she expects it to be close to downtown Tampa and hopes to open in the summer of 2018.

She says the growth is because KidsPark meets an important need for families.

“If you’re a mom, you get it,” says Amanda. She explains that KidsPark is available for children ages 2 through 12, for drop-in childcare. “We offer hourly childcare on days, evenings and weekends, with no reservations. For date nights, meetings, grocery shopping, appointments, anything… you just drop your kids off.”

Amanda knows, because she’s been there herself.

“My first experience with hourly childcare was when I was living in North Carolina and my husband was in the Marines,” Amanda says. “Hourly childcare saved my life. Sometimes, it was the only way for me to get to the store or clean the house.”

Amanda and her husband Ricky now live in Wesley Chapel with their two children, Camryn, who is 11, and Gavin, who is 7. Amanda worked as a microbiologist at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel before leaving her job to focus on opening and running KidsPark. While her undergraduate degree is in microbiology from the University of South Florida in Tampa, she also holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree from nearby St. Leo University, which she earned in 2013.

“I’ve always wanted to own my own business, and I knew this was something the area needed,” she says.

KidsPark’s full-time director, Heather Perez, has 20 years of experience as a preschool director in Pasco County.

“Heather has been a huge help for me,” says Amanda. “My background is in science, so it’s great that Heather understands all of the licensing and requirements.”

Fun For The Kids

KidsPark has something for all kids, from dramatic play to air hockey, board games and puzzles, as well as karaoke, Wii dance, Wii sports, and Xbox. Kids Park also has a private, enclosed outdoor space so kids can get some fresh air.

While visitors to KidsPark get time for open play, there also are scheduled activities. “We try to make sure every child takes home a craft or art project,” Amanda says, “so parents can see what they’ve been doing.”

KidsPark serves lunch at noon every day, and dinner at 6 p.m. The meals are catered and cost just $4.25 per child. Snacks are provided at no additional charge at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

“It’s huge to know that you always have child care,” Amanda says, “and — unlike what might happen with a babysitter — that they aren’t just sitting there watching TV.

Preschool & VPK, Too!

In addition to hourly childcare, KidsPark offers both Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) for four year olds and preschool for ages two and three.

KidsPark has two VPK classes, one from 9 a.m.-noon and one from 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. These classes, which are currently filled, are for families who use a voucher and pay nothing out-of-pocket for this time. On any day, whether the parent is running late or would like additional childcare, they pay just the regular hourly rate for any extra time.

“Buddy Preschool” also is held each day from 9 a.m. to noon, but parents have the flexibility to choose which days they attend and pay hourly just for the times their child is there.

“It’s such a different concept,” says Amanda. “You don’t have to wait for the next school year to start.”

Affordable Rates

“We try to make it so everyone can afford child care,” Amanda says. The hourly rate is just $8 for one child, or $12.25 for two siblings. Additional siblings are $3.25 per hour. A “preferred customer rate” is available for anyone who pre-pays $100 or more (in $50 increments, up to $250). Ten percent is added to your prepayment, so if you pre-pay $100, you actually get $110 credited to your account. There also is a day rate, so the price is capped at $56 for one child and $85.75 for two, per day.

There is a $25 registration fee per family (not per child), which is a one-time fee, as long as you come at least once a year. Also, once you’ve paid the registration fee at any facility, you can use all KidsPark facilities across the country when you’re traveling.

Amanda also offers discounts to hospital employees and to anyone in the military.

On Sundays, before and after KidsPark is open, the staff hosts birthday parties and other private parties.

“For a private party, you have the whole center to yourselves,” says Amanda. “You choose a craft and a game, and the cost includes face painting, two staff members to keep the kids busy, and also includes invitations, paper products and even decorations.”

Happy Customers

Samantha Weaver is a Wesley Chapel mom of three boys. “I have two who are old enough for KidsPark, and I have my one-year-old, who I desperately wish I could drop off at KidsPark!”

She says her two older kids, ages 2 and 4, love KidsPark. “It’s their favorite thing to do.”

As if on cue, one of her boys immediately interrupts. “Mommy, can we go to KidsPark?”

Samantha says her kids are introverted and usually take a long time to warm up. “The first I took them there, they didn’t want to leave,” she says.

Samantha also is a military wife, who says her husband is gone all the time, working. And, she’s a photographer. If she has a shoot in the evening, she’ll drop the kids off at KidsPark.

“I take them there because I know they’re going to have fun, they’re going to be fed well, and they’re going to fall asleep,” she says.

She says she also uses KidsPark instead of the gym daycare, which her son hates. “I’d rather pay to know my son is happy and having fun than to think that he’s miserable at the gym daycare.”

Samantha continues, “Especially for people in my situation – moms who do it on their own, or single moms – I can’t imagine a better scenario than what KidsPark gives me.”

At one of her first few visits, Samantha says she had a family emergency and had to drop the boys off, flustered and in a hurry. But, she says, the way she was treated was helpful, generous, and reassuring. At that point, Samantha says, she realized, “I’m not alone. These are my people. This is my tribe.”

The staff at KidsPark feels the same way. Heather says Samantha’s family has scheduled a birthday party there, and she thinks the entire staff is planning to attend. “We’re so attached,” Heather explains. “We all love this family.”

KidsPark is located at 26240 Golden Maple Loop, just south of S.R. 56 (and just east of I-75). The center is open Monday–Thursday, 7 a.m.–10 p.m., 7 a.m.–midnight on Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday, and 1 p.m.–6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 803-4972, or visit KidsPark.com. Mention this story for half off of your registration fee!

FHWC Celebrates 5 Years; ‘Inspiration Place’ Women’s Center Set To Open!

When 8,000 people attended the public grand opening of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) a couple of weeks before it opened to patients on October 1, 2012, they couldn’t have imagined how much of an impact on the community the hospital would have had on so many of us, just five years later.

FHWC continues to expand and grow, adding more services and technology to serve Wesley Chapel. In the last five years, FHWC has had 177,000 emergency room visits, more than 27,000 inpatient admissions  and more than 1,900 babies born. And, the hospital’s medical staff physicians have performed nearly 17,500 surgeries.

In addition, FHWC also features its Health & Wellness Center (which now has more than 5,500 members), the Center for Women’s Health, Outpatient Rehabilitation services, robotic surgery systems and a recently completed expansion, which cost $78 million and added a heart catheterization lab, nearly doubled the number of emergency rooms and operating rooms, and added 62 patient rooms to the original 83. FHWC also will add a new wound care center in the spring of 2018.

FHWC also has provided advanced medical care for the Wesley Chapel community and has had a major economic impact on our area. For example, FHWC opened with 400 employees, but now the hospital and adjacent Wellness Plaza employ more than 1,000 people.

The hospital hosted a community celebration on October 1, with family activities, food trucks and community partners from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and Pasco County Fire Rescue. The hospital also showcased its new ambulance, which will transport patients from a new offsite emergency department in Land O’Lakes (opening in January) and transport patients between FHWC and the other local hospitals in the Florida Hospital/Adventist Health Care family when necessary.

“We are blessed and proud to have served our community for the last five years,” says FHWC president and CEO Denyse Bales-Chubb. “Our expansion reflects the community’s trust in our care and the awards and recognitions we have received are a testament to the expertise and compassion of our staff and physicians.”

She adds, “But, we’re not done. We continue to add services to better meet the needs of our community.”

True Inspiration!

A $2.8-million dollar women’s health center, which will be called “Inspiration Place,” will open in the FHWC Wellness Plaza, today, Monday, October 23, offering comprehensive care for women at every stage of life.

Services available at Inspiration Place include gynecology, obstetrics, and prenatal care, along with primary care services, wellness services and more. Inspiration Place also includes a spa, for services such as massage and skin care treatments. Appointments can be booked now on its website, FHInspirationPlace.org.

An open house for ladies will be held at Inspiration Place on Tuesday, November 14, 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Event is free, but registration is required at tinyurl.com/FHWCInspirationplace.

Starbucks, Chick-fil-A & CubeSmart Among The New Businesses Coming To The Area

Updating The Map Of Wesley Chapel Along S.R. 54, From I-75 To W. Of Curley Rd.

  1. Developers are seeking approval for a 110,000-sq.ft. self-storage facility and a 160,000-sq.ft. hotel to be located directly behind the Walgreens at the intersection of S.R. 54 and BBD. The brand of the hotel isn’t determined.
  2. Wesley Chapel’s second Wawa location was approved in Oct. of 2016. Ground just started to be moved near the site where the 6,119-sq.ft. convenience store will be located.
  3. Land is currently being cleared for Chick-Fil-A’s proposed 4,877-sq.ft. restaurant with indoor play area & drive-through.
  4. The 4,000-sq.ft. Heartland Dental office is under construction & will be going vertical by the end of the month. It will share its location with a 4,200-sq.ft. stand-alone building that is still seeking a tenant but has suitors.
  5. Starbucks is expected to open early next year, and the 2,330-sq.ft. coffee hotspot will be flanked by at least three other retail tenants occupying another  5,700-sq.ft. One of those tenants will be a Pizza Hut. 
  6. The Racetrac convenience store, expected to be 5,411-sq.ft. with a 771 sq.ft. patio, is still going through the approval and permitting process, but is planned for the northwest corner of Vandine Rd. &  S.R. 54.
  7. CubeSmart will provide self storage in a three-story, climate-controlled 80,000-sq.-ft. facility, which will be surrounded by 14,000 sq. ft. of single-story storage.
  8. Nail & hair salons are two of the future tenants signed up for Nye Commons, which has 14,000-sq.ft. of space and is hoping to possibly add a restaurant and as many as four other tenants before opening by the end of the year.

After years of developer attention along the S.R. 56 corridor, which has included the debut of the Tampa Premium Outlets, the opening of a plethora of new restaurants and stores like Costco  and the continued growth in the southern portion of the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI), things appear to be turning north.

In and around the intersection of S.R. 54 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., which had begun to show its age since it was widened a few years ago, ground is being moved as a number of new projects begin to sprout up.

Included in future plans at the intersection and westward on S.R. 54 is another  Wawa, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Racetrac and a number of commercial strip centers that will potentially provide office space to everything from small restaurants to dentists and doctors.

“Everything’s moving north, and that is consistent with our growth pattern,’’ says Hope Allen, the CEO of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. “You’re starting to see that northern progression.”

The interest in SR. 54 is likely also the result of the saturation of the market along S.R. 56. In fact, Kim Lohry of Berkshire Hathaway says that there are now 27 restaurants located in the S.R. 56 corridor between Wesley Chapel Blvd. and Mansfield Dr., and “it’s a natural progression” for developers to look for other areas more ripe for new development.

Lohry is involved in a project bringing a 4,000-sq.ft. Heartland Dental office to the north side of S.R. 54, between the Walgreens and Wesley Chapel Nissan, as well as a 4,200-sq.ft. free-standing building which will share parking with the dental office. She says she has already fielded a number of inquiries from potential tenants.

Much of the area currently beginning a developmental phase lies south of the so-called “Connected City” project, including Florida’s first two lagoons by Crystal Lagoons in the new Mirada and Epperson Ranch housing developments. The Connected City is expected to add thousands of new residents, and many businesses and jobs to the area over the next 20 years.

While this stretch of 54 has been anchored by Publix and recently added a Wal-Mart Supercenter, the influx of new businesses will find plenty of customers located within a 10-mile radius.

That, along with the widening of S.R. 54 east of Curley Rd. — expected to begin this year or early 2018 — makes this area of Wesley Chapel an attractive target for potential businesses.

“It’s most certainly a prime area for development,” Allen says.

“I sure hope so,’’ says developer Brent Nye of Nye Commercial Advisors, whose retail strip center on BBD just south of the Wells Fargo bank is expected to open by the end of the year. Nye says he already has contracted with a nail and hair salon, and plans to add a restaurant as well. He adds that the 14,000-sq.-ft. plaza, where his business also will be based, could accommodate as many as eight tenants.

Nye also says other projects — like a Racetrac and Bay Breeze Car Wash on S.R. 54 and Vandine Rd., as well as the CubeSmart Self Storage nearing completion on the southwest corner of S.R. 54 and Wesley Chapel Loop — are signs that the stretch of S.R. 54 from BBD to the entrance to Meadow Pointe will soon become populated with businesses.

“I think this is the next area you will see a lot of growth in,’’ he says. “You are already seeing it.”