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.
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