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Thousands Get A Preview Of BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel!

Scooping his free Island Fin Poké Co. poké bowl into his mouth, Trey Walker paused for a second before answering the question of the day at BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel’s open house last month.

“I don’t like hospitals,” the Tampa truck driver said, smiling, “but if I ever need to go to one, I hope it’s this one.”

Walker was one of an estimated 4,000 people who took part in the area’s newest hospital’s open house on Feb. 18, which featured tours, food trucks, vendor booths and a kids area.

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel was expected to open to at least emergency room patients today (Mar. 7). The 86-bed, state-of-the-art hospital is located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. just south of S.R. 54.

BayCare Wesley Chapel president Becky Schulkowski was thrilled to finally unveil the hospital to the public.

“It’s just been extremely exciting, rewarding, and humbling seeing the response from the community,” she said. “I’m being thanked for coming to this community. It just feels like such a blessing…and we will live up to their expectations.”

*The new hospital features private rooms with Alexa-enabled services, and a Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System*. (*Photo: John C. Cotey*)

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel boasts 318,000 sq. ft. of space, and will feature comprehensive medical services and health care resources, including an emergency department, an intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds, diagnostic services such as imaging and on-site lab services, and physical rehabilitation. BayCare is investing $246 million in the project, which will be the 16th link in the nonprofit’s chain, which has locations throughout Central Florida. The Wesley Chapel location will be just the second full-service BayCare hospital in Pasco County and will feature outstanding technology like the CT scanner and a DaVinci Robotic Surgical System.

The DaVinci robot drew a few oohs and aahs from those on the tour, its multiple arms coiled like a resting octopus. It allows for very precise incisions and techniques used by surgeons, including things like hernia repairs and colorectal surgery.

“So, if anyone with colon cancer needs to have parts of their colon removed, it can be done with the robot,” Schulkowski said. “The procedures with the robot really allows you to heal faster and get out of the hospital quicker. With some of those bigger surgeries, before we started using the robotic surgery, you would be in the hospital for five days (or more) after that procedure. Now, you can be home in one or two days.…and what most people want is to get out of the hospital and get home.”

Much of the planning that went into BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel was about comfort.

“We really thought about what it feels like to be a patient, and how much most people really don’t like to be in a hospital,” Schulkowski said. “So, we really tried to design it with that perspective in mind, and really make it a comfortable, healing environment.”

That means all of the patient rooms are private, and have integrated Alexa, a voice-controlled virtual assistant that allows you to call your nurse, dim the lights, raise the blinds or the thermostat and other things, with just your voice.

The hospital provides most general surgeries, orthopaedic surgeries, urology and a cath lab to diagnose any heart issues, Schulkowski said.

“We went all out to make sure we had the absolute best technology available for the community,” she added.

While 86 rooms may not seem like a lot, BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel is expandable. Schulkowski said the option is available to build a second tower directly above the ER if needed. “We can pretty much double everything,” she said.

Also planned is a 20-bed observation unit, which could be built next to the ER on the backside of the hospital, by 2027. “That will allow us to cohort what we call observation patients, patients that come in and maybe have chest pain, and we need to run a couple tests and see is it a heart problem? Or is it just really bad heartburn?,” Schulkowski said. “While you’re waiting for those tests, you don’t need to be up in the hospital, you’re just waiting on getting some test results. We’re gonna keep you comfortable, get those test results and then, hopefully, send you on your way.”

It was ten years ago that AdventHealth (then Florida Hospital) Wesley Chapel opened its doors, giving the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa areas newer (and closer) options for care. And, next up is Orlando Hospital Wesley Chapel, a 300-bed facility under construction on S.R. 56.

The nonprofit company that is opening BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel understands that there are options. Schulkowski said her staff is ready to meet the challenge. In fact, one of her pet projects was the sculpture out front — five ribbons coming together. Each ribbon has one of the five BayCare values engraved on it: Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Dignity.

“I wanted the very first thing that our community saw when they came onto campus (were) the BayCare values, because that’s what we bring to this community,” Schulkowski said.

For more information, visit BayCare.org.

Local Women Band Together In Search For A Kidney Donor

*Radha Guntuku (left) and Denise Rose sit at the table that started their whole journey together trying to help a family in need of a kidney.****(Photo: Charmaine George)***

The story of how two New Tampa women combined forces to try to help a Land O’Lakes man find a kidney donor starts with a table.

It was a table that Denise Rose, who lives in Tampa Palms, was ready to purchase from Sylvia Moreta via the Facebook Marketplace a little more than a month ago.

Denise was supposed to pick the table up on a Tuesday, but Sylvia abruptly canceled and asked if Friday would work.

Denise thought that was odd, and worried about a scam, so she took a look at Sylvia’s Facebook page for clues. What she found out was that Tuesday was that Sylvia’s birthday was that Tuesday, but what really jumped out at Denise was that Sylvia was asking for donations for the Florida Kidney Foundation, because her 34-year-old son was in dire need of a kidney.

*The Moreta family (l.-r.) Maverick, Kristina, Anthony and Amelia. Anthony is awaiting a kidney donor, less than a year after his brother received a transplant. (Photo courtesy of Kristina Moreta)*

That hit close to Denise’s heart. In 2021, she had donated a kidney to her brother Dennis, saving his life. She understood the fear and the worry that likely was gripping Sylvia.

So, Denise called Sylvia, and they talked for an hour, and they shared their stories with each other.

Denise was moved to action. Not only had she had faced the same worries when she donated a kidney to her brother, but she knew someone else who had a similar experience — fellow Tampa Palms resident Radha Guntuku, who contacted the Neighborhood News in 2020 when her son Raj was in dire need of a kidney.

Because Denise was going through her donation at the same time the Neighborhood News had published its piece on Raj’s plight, she found some solace following the story. Raj found his donor in K-Bar Ranch resident Joel Morales, who had seen the same story and was compelled to help.

After Raj received his kidney in March and Denise donated hers in May, she reached out to Radha for the first time, they talked, and she eventually met Radha and Raj.

“It’s like we were living parallel experiences during that time,” says Denise, who has even written a children’s book on kidney donations.

It was only natural, then, that Denise would connect Radha, also once a worried, frightened mother, to Sylvia, who is now going through the same thing.

“I just thought, ‘(Radha’s) gonna want to help Sylvia,’” Denise said. “And, she did. I mean, she responded within a minute of my text. Sylvia was so gracious. I told her. ‘You’re not by yourself.’”

Radha eagerly offered assistance. They began spreading the word, hoping a donor would step forward. Radha used the same contacts she used when searching for Raj, including telling Denise to contact the Neighborhood News, because that’s how she found her donor.

“You know, she’s just giving it back, because you guys helped her so much,” Denise says. “She’s been great. Just trying to help someone out, right?”

For Sylvia, it has been a fear-filled year. Her sons were both always going to need kidney transplants, having grown up with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which is a disease that attacks the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units inside your kidney where blood is cleaned.

When Sylvia’s older son Victor, who had been on the donor list for a few years by then, had his kidney transplant in May 2022, she thought it would be years before Anthony, who was seven years younger, would need one as well.

But, only a few months later, Anthony wasn’t feeling well and his blood pressure was sky-high, so he had to be hospitalized.

“It was kind of a surprise because his brother is older and he just got a transplant last June, so we were kind of hoping we had a few more years and our (3- and 4-year-old) kids would be a little bit older during this crazy thing,” said Anthony’s wife Kristina. “But, in August, we were told he was in complete kidney failure, that we were really lucky to get him in that day. He ended up staying there for almost a week in the hospital, getting dialysis pretty much every day, which normally you go three times a week for.”

For Sylvia, the news was devastating.

“It is very hard for us,” said Sylvia, who lives in Lutz. “More for my husband. I have stronger faith, so I relied on God in order to survive. With this one, I feel numb. I am in shock. I think the surprise is still affecting me.”

While there have been glimmers of hope, Anthony is still awaiting a donor. It can be a difficult process, because while many people may want to donate, the percentage of finding perfect matches is still pretty low.

Despite knowing that the day would eventually come, Sylvia says it wasn’t any easier last May when Victor was in the hospital receiving his transplant.

“I would say when we saw (Victor) in the hospital, probably around May of last year, I think it really hit us hard,” Kristina says. “Anthony said, ‘The clock is ticking.’ And, he was trying to make sure to kind of get everything in order because of our kids.”

A donor for Anthony is waiting in the wings, Kristina says, but nothing has been finalized. She knows better than to get her hopes up too much,

Anthony receives dialysis at a facility three days a week at 5 a.m., and continues to work as an auto mechanic at Tampa BMW. Victor, a police officer who received his kidney from a friend, continues to offer support and advice.

Denise and Radha are diligently scouring the area, online and offline, for a suitable donor. They understand. They want to help any way that they can.

And, Sylvia continues to have faith for her son, even though some days it is harder to maintain than others.

“Remember what I told you about my faith? Well, God did it once, he’s going to do it again,” Sylvia says. “I think it’s going to happen like the first time, I really do. But, I have been scared. I get a little anxious. I have my days. And then, I have to go back to trusting that something good is going to happen.”

Potential kidney donors for Anthony Moreta must have the O blood type. If you know of anyone who might be willing to donate or want to help yourself, call Anna Harrop, RN BSN CMSRN, Living Donor/Pre-Kidney Transplant Coordinator, at (727) 588-5618. To help the Moreta family, visit https://gofund.me/02e64627.

kidney donation

Mayor Castor Keeps Promise To Help Trash Project

No one can say that Tampa Mayor Jane Castor isn’t true to her word.

After promising a few weeks ago at a community forum at Coffee Speaks & Tea Talks in Pebble Creek (as we reported last issue) to come take part in a trash pick-up event planned by Clark Elementary fourth grader Makenna Reel, the mayor, despite having to be at the Gasparilla Distance Classic in downtown Tampa at 5:30 a.m., showed up for the roadside trash pick-up right on time.

“I was still a little surprised,” said a smiling Makenna. “She could have been there or not been there, but she took time out of her day to be there.”

Castor met with many of the volunteers and posed for pictures while encouraging the cleanup of the parking lot at The Walk At Highwoods Preserve shopping center, at the corner of Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., only a mile or so from Makenna’s school.

“This is our home and I think it’s critically important that we keep it clean,” Castor said. “To see litter out in the community, it sends a message that we don’t care about Tampa. So, it’s a huge focus of mine, and I’ll continue to focus for the next four years on keeping Tampa clean.”

Makenna started the Green Clean club at her school after builders of a new roof at Clark left debris behind. She also planned the Feb. 25 cleanup, and was joined by more than two dozen volunteers, who collected about 20 bags of garbage. Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, which provided the bags and gloves, also picked the trash up after it had been collected.

Makenna said the event, her first outside of school property, was a success and added that she’d like to do more.

“I was thinking about going to Flatwoods Park, or maybe I’ll take some suggestions,” Makenna said. “I want everyone to be a part of it.”

jane castor

GL Homes Proceeds With Pebble Creek Redevelopment Plan

GL Homes has officially teed off with its plans to redevelop the Pebble Creek Golf Club (PCGC).

The home builder has filed plans with Hillsborough County to amend the golf course property’s zoning and redevelop the 149 acres following months of meetings with residents — including, most recently, a door-to-door campaign — in their efforts to convince Pebble Creek residents that its plans are best for the community.

Even so, GL Homes faced resistance from a group of homeowners trying to stop them.

Although there are still a handful of steps along the way, including more meetings with the public, a vote on the proposed project by the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners (BCC) could come as soon as July 18.

PCGC owner Bill Place, whose company is Ace Golf, made it clear in a letter to Pebble Creek residents that redevelopment was the only choice.

He wrote to residents in a two-and-a-half-page letter that it would never reopen as a golf course due to the “declining economics” of golf, and that the county would never purchase the property to turn into a park because it doesn’t have the money.

He said his first choice, and by far the one he felt was best for the community, was the plan submitted by GL Homes to the county. Those plans include a gated, 251-unit single-family detached residential development, with an amenity center and four acres of passive and active park space throughout the development.

He said if that plan is not approved, then residents will be stuck with a “vacant, overgrown, fenced-in property for potentially many years to come (like Walden Lake) and another plan by a lesser builder without the many guarantees and concessions made in GL Homes’ plan.”

Place told residents in the letter that he has solicited input from the community’s two homeowners associations (HOAs) and neighbors, and has agreed to certain requests — such as limiting density to about 250 units (although nearly 600 are allowed), enhancing existing wetlands, adding recreational amenities and also requiring the developer to make any road improvements needed to offset the number of new homes.

Place, who recently had a chain-link fence installed around the golf course due to what he claims is rampant vandalism, also took some shots at the Save Pebble Creek group and others that are opposed to redevelopment.

“There is a vocal group that would have you believe that a vacant, overgrown, vandalized 150-acre property with a chain-link fence around it is better for your property values than GL Homes’ redevelopment plan,” Place wrote. “And, they would have you believe that, as the owner of the property, I will simply relinquish it to any buyer for a park or revived golf course. I will not, as both are not realistic options. I will simply hold the property for as many years as it takes for the existing entitlements and property rights to be recognized by a governing authority.”

Place said the letter was written to combat what he says is misinformation that has been spread about his intentions.

Before shutting down, PCGC was the oldest golf course in New Tampa, opening in 1967. Place bought the 6,436-yard semi-private golf course in 2005. He has said that since the 2008 recession, he had been unable to make much money from it. When he shut PCGC down for good on July 31, 2021, he said there were only a dozen golf members.

Place had been seeking buyers for the property before he shuttered it, and at least four other developers had explored purchasing the course before ultimately declining.

The county staff will examine the GL Homes plan and reply with comments, suggestions and possibly revisions. Jake Cremer, a land-use attorney for Stearns Weaver Miller law, who is representing the developer, said he expects the first hearing will be May 15 before the zoning hearing master, who will listen to both sides and make a recommendation to the BCC.

Pebble Creek Golf Club owner Bill Place recently had a chain link fence installed around the defunct golf course to prevent vandalism. It didn’t help when it came to the former golf club’s marquee. He says the chain link fence could become permanent if the county doesn’t approve GL Homes’ redevelopment plan.

Cremer says GL Homes has gone above and beyond the normal efforts of developers in trying to bring the existing Pebble Creek community on board with the plans. The home builder is close to wrapping up its door-to-door campaign, with the goal of reaching all 1,350 homes in Pebble Creek.

The larger Pebble Creek HOA represents 1,050 homes and has participated in meetings with GL Homes; the smaller Pebble Creek Village HomeOwners Association (PCV HOA), which represents 303 homes, remains opposed to redevelopment and has declined all meetings.

One of the PCV HOA members, Leslie Green, is the person who started the Save Pebble Creek Facebook page and helped organize a number of protests. Despite the efforts of GL Homes, Green remains unconvinced.

“All the same issues we’ve had from the start are still there,” Green says. “Our quality of life will be impacted. The construction will take three years, the loss of wildlife and green spaces is terrible, and this area just can’t handle any more traffic.”

Green says that most of the residents that she has spoken with are opposed to redevelopment

However, Cremer says GL Homes is not finding that to be the case.

“What we’re finding is that, like a lot of these more controversial projects, there’s a very vocal minority that’s opposed,” Cremer says. “And, there’s a similar number of people that really like the idea. They’re just tired of having 18 months of a defunct golf course in their back yards, with no way to use that or enjoy the property. And then, there’s a lot of people in the middle that have been, from what I understand, very, very open to talking and haven’t necessarily made their minds up yet.”

Pebble Creek was zoned PD (Planned Development), and the 149 acres in question was zoned as a golf course. The developers will try and get that designation removed.

The county’s current comprehensive plan, established in 1989, classifies the Pebble Creek property in the RES-4 Future Land category, which caps development at a maximum of four homes per acre, meaning that as many as 600 homes would be permitted. GL Homes, as one of its concessions to current residents, it says, only intends to build 251, or less than half of that total.

Place still has a soil issue to contend with as the redevelopment process plays out. Contaminants were discovered in the golf course’s soil in 2019, and Place says he recently received approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to submit a cleanup plan. He expects that plan to be submitted in roughly 30 days, with six months needed for the cleanup.

“Things are happening,” Place says. “I think we are taking steps in the right direction with all of this.”

pebble creek

Wesley Chapel’s 2022-23 Teacher Of The Year Nominees

The Pasco County School District recently named its Teacher and School-Related Personnel of the Year.

Anita Dienes, Instructional Assistant at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, won top honors in the District among all School-Related Personnel.

“Mrs. Dienes was nominated for her outstanding dedication to our students and continuous support of our staff,” says Donna Gricoski, the principal at Weightman. “She works hard to build relationships with students and is an out-of-the box problem solver when working through various student-related interactions.”

Timothy Hamlin, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)teacher at Wiregrass Elementary, was one of three finalists for the District-wide Teacher of the Year, although the award was ultimately presented to Kim Theurer of Gulf High in New Port Richey.

District-wide winners are chosen from the nominees selected at all schools in the county. Being chosen as the nominee from a school is an honor in itself, so we congratulate all of the teachers and supporting staff in the schools in Wesley Chapel who were recognized as their school’s nominees this year.

At the brand new Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation off Curley Rd., the school chose its first-ever nominees, including Brooke Howard, learning design coach, as its Teacher of the Year.

“I am extremely honored to receive this recognition from those who I work alongside,” she says.