AdventHealth Wesley Chapel Cuts A Ribbon On Its New Expansion

Although the title may change hands at some point in the future, Wesley Chapel’s first hospital is still its largest and an exclamation point has been added to that sentence following the Nov. 20 ribbon-cutting ceremony and Grand Opening of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) hospital’s “North Tower” upward expansion. 

More than 200 hospital staffers, hospital and hospital Foundation Board members, as well as North Tampa Bay Chamber Board members were on hand when AHWC president and CEO Ryan Quattlebaum (left) and chief medical officer Robert Rosequist (with scissors in top photo) cut the ribbon on the 80,373-sq.-ft. expansion. The project adds three additional floors (only the top one of which is open) and 24 more licensed beds, with room for two 24-bed units in the future, as well as 21 additional pre-op and post-op beds, two additional operating rooms, two additional endoscopy suites and one hybrid operating room. 

The expansion also gives the award-winning hospital — which has been named one of the top hospitals in the U.S. by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report magazines, as well as earning an “America’s 250 Best Hospitals” grade by Healthgrades and a 21st consecutive semester Hospital Safety Grade of “A” from Leapfrog — expanded sterile processing and imaging capabilities, including MRI and radiology. 

All told, AHWC now has 193 private patient beds, 34 ER beds, 12 operating rooms, three endoscopy suites, two heart catheterization labs, one C-section suite, and too much other robotic surgery and other advanced technology to mention here. 

Following an opening prayer, Quattlebaum said, “This expansion project is truly monumental for AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. I am so excited to celebrate with everyone here today because this is truly a celebration for our community.” 

Quattlebaum then thanked all of the elected officials in attendance, including District 1 Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley, District 2 Commissioner Seth Weightman (right) and District 5 Commissioner Jack Mariano. He also acknowledged and thanked all of the hospital Board members, medical executive committee members, AdventHealth West Florida Division leaders and fellow Pasco County AdventHealth leaders, as well as all of the companies that participated in building the hospital expansion project. 

“The journey at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel is one that reads like a fairy tale storybook, as it relates to health, faith and community,” Quattlebaum said. So, I’ll go back to the beginning — to 2012, when this campus opened (as Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel) with 80 beds and a community that welcomed us with open arms. And, as the community has grown, we have grown with it. And, what that growth really signifies is that we have [greater] access to care.” 

He added that when he first heard about AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, “I was in California and I heard about this amazing place where they have these great, quality stores and the team is so engaged. It really speaks to the heart of what makes Wesley Chapel special — our people. A building is a place where people receive care, but it’s delivered by people and the people who work here are truly what makes us unique and special.” 

Quattlebaum concluded by saying that when they had orientation for the new expansion, he asked his team members where they came from, where home was for them. “One of them said, ‘I live in Zephyrhills but I remember this spot, this part of Wesley Chapel, as a place where we used to come to watch meteor showers.’ And I thought that meteor showers are moments that reminds us how brilliance is possible. It’s fitting that our hospital stands here today because it symbolizes what brilliance can look like. Our mission calls us to continue to be brilliant for our community every single day and to extend Christ’s healing ministry through healing, comfort and hope. While meteor showers come and go, the light and brilliance that extends at this place endures.” 

Next up was Commissioner Weightman, who said, “AdventHealth entered Pasco County in 1985 and the reason for that was that Commissioner Oakley’s dad donated the land that AdventHealth Zephyrhills sits on today. And it’s an honor to sit with him today, as Commissioner Oakley has carried on that legacy by being part of that foundation. And, here we are today in Wesley Chapel, on a road that used to be called the ‘road to nowhere.’ But now, that roads leads somewhere, to the North Tower of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. How spectacular is that?” 

Also speaking at the event were AHWC chief of staff Dr. Kalpesh Patel and Dr. Rosequist, but before the ribbon-cutting and tours of the new wing, Quattlebaum also thanked the AHWC marketing team for putting the event together. 

For more info about AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (2600 BBD Blvd.), visit AdventHealth.com or call (813) 929-5000. — GN, all photos except the rendering above by Charmaine George 

AdventHealth’s New Meadow Pointe Emergency Room (ER)!

As part of AdventHealth’s commitment to community-based health care, the hospital company’s AdventHealth Zephyrhills is hosting a FREE “Grand Opening Community Celebration” tomorrow — Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. — to unveil the new freestanding Meadow Pointe ER! The event will include food trucks, safety education, giveaways and of course, preview tours of the new ER! For more info, visit MeadowPointeER.com.

Meet & Greet Held For Ryan Quattlebaum’s Return To AdventHealth Wesley Chapel! 

(Below Left) AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) Chaplain Danny Sierra welcomes new president & CEO Ryan Quattlebaum and his family — (l.-r.) his wife Cristina and daughters Emily and Sophia — back to AHWC during a packed (bottom left) meet & greet event at the hospital on Jan. 29. Quattlebaum has replaced former AHWC president & CEO Erik Wangsness, who left to take the same job at AdventHealth Tampa. (All photos by Charmaine George) 

When Chaplain Danny Sierra — who has been with AdventHealth Wesley Chapel since it opened on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. as “Florida Hospital” — introduced the hospital’s new president & chief executive officer (CEO) Ryan Quattlebaum at a meet & greet event on Jan. 29, he was trying to figure out how best to re-introduce more than 100 guests to the hospital’s former chief financial officer (CFO). 

“I thought about the Bible story of the prodigal son, but then I thought, ‘Maybe not, because he wished his father not well and there are kids here.’” 

Instead, Chaplain Danny went with Philippians Chapter 4, Verse 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice.” 

To which he added, “And, we rejoice that Ryan is back with us. And let us pray more. Lord, thank you for this special homecoming of your son, his wife and his children. You knew them before they were conceived. You numbered the hairs on each one of their heads, and you brought them back to us. And, as a campus with all our friends, we rejoice of this man.” 

Quattlebaum, who served as the CFO at AHWC from 2020-22, left to become the president and CEO of AdventHealth North Pinellas in Tarpon Springs, but returned to AHWC when Erik Wangsness left to take the same position at AdventHealth Tampa. He thanked Chaplain Danny and said he was thrilled to be “back home.” 

First, Quattlebaum thanked the elected officials who attended the event, including Dist. 20 State Senator Danny Burgess and Pasco County commissioners Ron Oakley and Jack Mariano. He also thanked the AHWC Foundation and hospital Board members, as well as the doctors, nurses and staff members in attendance. 

“I’m beyond blessed to be able to be here with each one of you,” Quattlebaum said. “And to be welcomed back. My youngest daughter Emily was born here at this hospital, so I am blessed to be back. My first job in a hospital was in the dish room when I was in high school. So, my roots in Advent Hospitals go way back and this is where my heart is.” 

Quattlebaum also said that he, “ultimately wants to make sure that everyone’s family member gets treated like how our families are treated and I firmly believe that we do this together. So, there’s a whole team of people here as well that’s made that work happen. So I want to acknowledge and say thank you to all of them for this important work.” 

And finally, Quattlebaum said, “What I really care about is people. And Christ’s Healing Ministry was really about people, and this is representative of what our community truly looks like.” He then gave everyone in attendance his cell phone number. 

For more information about AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (2600 BBD Blvd.), call (813) 929-5000, visit AdventHealth.com. — GN 

News from AdventHealth — Wangsness Moves On To AHT; Quattlebaum Takes Over At AHWC; Beam Signing At New Meadow Pointe ER

(01/18/2023) ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL – USA – AdventHealth. AdventHealth Executive Leadership. Matt Rainey/AdventHealth

AdventHealth has certainly been busy the last couple of weeks. On Nov. 8, the new freestanding Emergency Room on S.R. 54 at Meadow Pointe Blvd. had a beam-signing event that you can read about below. Then, just last week, the nonprofit health care giant announced that Erik Wangsness, who has been the president & CEO of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) since Sept. 2019, will assume the same position at AdventHealth Tampa, effective December 15. Taking over from Wangsness as the president & CEO at AHWC, as of Dec. 29, will be Ryan Quattlebaum, who previously held the same titles at AdventHealth North Pinellas in Tarpon Springs.

For more details about these two latest moves, check out the full stories in the December 10 edition of New Tampa Neighborhood News and the December 24 edition of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News.

AdventHealth Meadow Pointe ER Beam Signed! 
Pasco County Comm. Seth Weightman (3rd from left) & the executive team for the new AdventHealth ER in Meadow Pointe sign the beam. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

George Butler, the construction superintendent for Robins & Morton, the firm building the freestanding AdventHealth emergency room (ER) in Meadow Pointe (AHMP), told the crowd of nearly 100 people in attendance on Nov. 8 that, “Today is a major milestone for this project. The next major milestone will be the Grand Opening.”

The milestone in question that day was the signing and raising of a beam that will be above the sliding door main entrance to the ER located at the corner of S.R. 54 and Meadow Pointe Blvd.

“Every time you go through that sliding door, you will all think of this beam that you signed,” Butler said. 

AdventHealth Zephyrhills president & CEO Mike Murrill thanked all of the people & companies that made the project happen. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

Butler was introduced by William Villegas, the chief operating officer of AdventHealth Zephyrhills (AHZ), who then said that, “You’re here with us today because you were part of the process of getting this building off the ground…and by signing this beam, you are acknowledging all of the hard work of the crew that is sitting here. And, each and every one of you has played a role in it, whether as a support member, an executive or an engineer with Robins Morton.” 

Villegas added that, “So far, this building has endured two storms, and it’s still standing. On April 29, 2025, when we open this building, we will be providing 32,000 square feet of capacity with 12 beds, two triage rooms and advanced lab and imaging services that will provide freestanding emergency room services to the Pasco community. As we expand our reach, build facilities, touch more lives and care for more patients in Pasco County, we fulfill our mission of extending the healing ministry of Christ. And, that’s what we’re here for, to serve our communities and provide the highest quality of care for our patients. None of this would be possible without everyone here today..”

Villegas, the executive sponsor for the AHMP ER, then introduced Mike Murrill, the president and CEO of AHZ.

“I want to thank William Villegas for guiding this team the last several months,” Murrill said. “He just joined our team six months ago and hit the ground running by connecting our community partners and the construction team and it’s exciting to get to this point in the journey.”

Murrill added, “I would just like to take this moment to thank several of our partners who are here this morning — our Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman, Arash Kamangar of Hunton Brady Architects, George (Butler) and our Robins & Morton construction team, all of the subcontractors who have contributed to this project, ans well as our Division Team. We thank you all for your collaborative spirit, your work with each other and what it means to have something new in this community.” 

Villegas then said a short prayer to thank God and to pray that “the patients who end up at this new ER find healing.”

For more information about the new AHMP ER, visit AdventHealth.com. — GN 

AdventHealth Radiologist Discusses The Importance Of Mammograms 

Dr. Rachel Burke demonstrates how the AdventHealth Care Pavilion mammography machine works. (Photos by Charmaine George)

As most people know, October is “National Breast Cancer Awareness Month” across the U.S. and here in Tampa, the AdventHealth Care Pavilion at 8702 Hunter’s Lake Dr., in front of the Hunter’s Green community on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., hosted a breast cancer awareness event on Oct. 3 to encourage women to get their mammograms. 

“One in eight women will be touched by breast cancer in their lifetimes,” said Dr. Rachel Burke, the medical director and head breast radiologist at the Kay Meyer Breast Care Center at AdventHealth Tampa. “The median age is around 62 and the highest risk is for those over age 70, but we diagnose it in all ages. Pretty much everyone knows someone who has been affected by it. I always tell people that the biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer are being born female and getting older — and if you’re alive, you’re getting older, so nobody is immune to it.” 

In fact, she said, “This year alone, more than 300,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, the kind that can possibly spread, and another 56,000 with the non-invasive or ‘Stage 0’ breast cancer, and that’s just here in the U.S.” 

Dr. Burke says that not only is a mammogram the only diagnostic test approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), it also is the “gold standard” for detecting breast cancer. 

“And honestly, it’s so easy,” Dr. Burke said. “It only takes a few minutes, isn’t painful and it can definitely save your life. I don’t know why some women have built it up in their heads that it’s this scary thing. It’s really just a couple of seconds of pressure on each side.” 

She added that she started as a diagnostic radiologist specializing in breast radiology, “before I turned 40, so I hadn’t actually had a mammogram myself yet. But, I had heard many scary things about mammograms from patients. And, when I finally had mine, I said, ‘OK, that wasn’t so bad.’ I didn’t know what the whole fuss was about. It was over and done with so fast and wasn’t terrible at all.” 

Dr. Burke also said that since the 1990s, with widespread screening becoming the norm, “Mortality from breast cancer has been reduced by 40% and up to 50% in some studies. Yes, it works. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to have a test that took five minutes of their time that could save their life.” 

Cost Isn’t An Issue 

And, she noted that considering that an annual mammogram is a covered test for women over age 40 on virtually all health insurance plans, “Cost isn’t an issue, either. Even if you don’t have insurance, there are programs — like through our AdventHealth Foundation — that offer free or low-cost mammograms to women, regardless of their insurance status, if they can’t afford to get one. We will find a way to help you” 

In addition, Dr. Burke said, “Most mammography facilities offer special programs and lower fees during October. I know we have a special for a $99 mammogram this month.” 

The Care Pavilion staff “celebrates” Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Dr. Burke also noted that although African American women have a lower incidence of breast cancer when compared with Caucasians and other races, “They have a higher mortality rate from it. We don’t know exactly why — but Black women have a higher incidence of dense breast tissue and there are some other factors, including socioeconomic, but it absolutely is something to be aware of. We don’t want any women to die from breast cancer, but we also don’t want this type of disparity either.” 

Speaking of breast density, however, Dr. Burke said that it is harder to read the mammograms of women who have more dense, glandular tissue than fatty tissue, which puts any woman with dense breasts at higher risk for breast cancer. 

“Mammograms are still our best diagnostic tool,” she said, “but the test isn’t perfect. Just as it’s harder to see when you’re driving in dense fog, it’s harder to read the mammograms through dense breast tissue. Some women will need a supplemental test — like an MRI or ultrasound — if they have dense breasts and there’s a concern.” 

Dr. Burke also talked about BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations, which significantly increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Statistics show that 55%-65% of women found with a BRCA1 mutation and 45% of women with a BRCA2 mutation will develop breast cancer by age 70. 

“More and more celebrities are coming out and discussing that they have gotten prophylactic bilateral mastectomies and reconstruction after being found with either mutation,” she said. “You know, the Angelina Jolie effect. So now, there are a lot of women with these mutations who aren’t celebrities who were inspired by that and also are having mastectomies to prevent breast cancer and that’s great. A surgery without cancer is easier to recover from than a surgery with cancer.” 

And now, she added, “We have found a lot of different genes that are proving to be risk factors not just for breast but for a lot of different cancers.” 

Dr. Burke also said that although there are some risk factors that women can’t change, like aging and genetics, “The risk factors we can change are alcohol consumption, diet and exercise and smoking. I never tell women they have to give up alcohol altogether,” she said. “I still like to have a glass of wine, too, and I have friends who are oncologists who still have a drink here and there. All we say is to limit your alcohol consumption because it definitely is related to breast cancer.” 

She also noted that it’s important to tell women who are diagnosed that, “It’s not your fault. I tell them, ‘You did not cause this. This is one rogue cell that decided to proliferate. There wasn’t one particular thing you did to cause it.’” 

The stage of the cancer itself also is important. “The chance for long-term survival goes down with each stage,” Dr. Burke said. “However, even though we can’t ‘cure’ Stage 4, we do have many patients who live for a number of years with Stage 4 disease.” 

Dr. Burke then demonstrated how a mammogram works in the Care Pavilion’s Mammography Suite. And, after the interview,Charmaine and I enjoyed pink cupcakes, donuts and lemonade with the Care Pavilion staff, who also painted provided stones pink with the name of someone they lost to the disease for the Care Pavilion’s garden. They also took home pink light bulbs. 

For more info about AHCP, call (813) 548-8550, visit AHCarePavilionNewTampa.com.Â