By Gary Nager
In anticipation of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC)’s opening to patients (which was officially scheduled for October 1, or a few days before you received this issue in your mailbox), the hospital, in conjunction with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, recently opened for a tour by members of the media.
That amazing tour was followed by a huge public Grand Opening event on September 21, where thousands of local residents and those interested in the finest imaging technology of any hospital in Florida came to enjoy a celebration of this truly state-of-the-art healthcare facility — less than two miles north of the Pasco County line on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.!
The $150-million, 83-bed hospital, part of the Adventist Health System was first unveiled to members of the media, who got to take the Grand Tour of Wesley Chapel’s first hospital, where unsurpassed technology meets new levels of patient care and security.
We’ve already had the first full-length video of the hospital on our website (NTNeighborhoodNews. com), highlighting all of the amazing technologies and advances in patient care that are now part of FHWC and its 400 recently hired medical professionals.
Situated on a beautiful 52-acre site just north of the Shops at Wiregrass mall — with a direct interior access road to the mall, by the way — many of the technologies used in MRI and CT imaging are the first of their kind in Florida and some even first or second in the entire nation. And, to be honest, anyone who lives in or near Wesley Chapel who is looking for the best possible care for themselves and their family and friends, really needs to tour the hospital in person to fully understand just how incredible and unique a health care facility it is.
Brian Adams, the president and CEO of FHWC, led the media tour, which included stops at the hospital’s never-before-seen (in our state) 3-Tesla (3T) MRI machine and 128-slice CT Scan machine (most CTs are only 16-slice, with 64-slice considered by many to be the industry standard).
“Our imaging equipment, including for surgeries, is truly top-of-the-line,” Adams said. “We believe we will draw patients from as far away as Hernando County, as well as from all of Pasco, northern Hillsborough and even further away for some of these surgical imaging equipment we have, especially our vascular surgery and hybrid operating rooms.”
More Than Just Imaging
Every patient room offers the patient and their families opportunities to view videos about that patient’s condition. Thanks to having the “Get Well Network” in every room, whenever any staff member appears in any room, the staffer’s name and photo appear on the 42” flat screen TV in the room, which even monitors staff hand washing and sanitizing every time they enter.
There are soothing nature scenes on every wall, including in each of the hospital’s 18 incredible emergency room suites — where the variety of calming scenes, from cartoon to underwater and so many more, can be changed by the hospital staff.
Also part of the patient experience is a beautiful, 900-gallon Zehnder Family Foundation aquarium provided by the Florida Aquarium, to captivate and reduce the stress of the patients and their families waiting in the Emergency Room (ER). In addition, Wesley Chapel Toyota/Honda donated a truck for the hospital’s security personnel, Mini of Wesley Chapel donated a car for FHWC’s lab courier, the Mary and Bob Sierra Family Foundation paid for the naming rights to the CT Scan room in the ER and Bright House Networks earned the naming rights to the pediatric play area in the ER waiting room.
There’s so much more to tell and we will, both on our website and in upcoming issues of New Tampa Neighborhood News!
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