The site plan for the PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Wiregrass Ranch. (All of these graphics were submitted to Pasco County)
Back in December, Wiregrass Ranch submitted plans for an a new east/west access road through parcel M3 (see map, bottom right), which was intended to help provide access to a proposed new PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital and future outparcels. This road will connect with Bruce B Downs (BBD) Blvd., at the directional median opening that aligns with Stockton Dr. on the other side of BBD.Â
The location map for the PAM Rehab Hospital.
In the future ultimate build-out, itâs intended that this road might be punched through the wetland and connected directly as an extension to the existing Bella Corsa Blvd in Estancia at Wiregrass. This extension will serve two functions â
1) to give residents direct vehicular and pedestrian access to the large commercial developments and reduce traffic on the main roads, and 2) to give residents an alternative way to access BBD.Â
The plans for the Parcel M3 access road and future commercial.
The proposed PAM Health Rehab Hospital will be located immediately north of the Amberlin Apartments site (on the other side of the natural wetland pond) and, even though the plans donât currently show it, it will be required to be cross connected to Amberlin and the small commercial retail outparcel to the south (M3 Outparcel B site) with a small road, which will allow this rehab hospital (and all of the future Wiregrass commercial) to have access to the signal at Eagleston Blvd. upon ultimate buildout.
Plans for the small retail outparcel to the south show this future cross connection which also would include sidewalk access. This retail development (Outparcel B) will be a small multi-tenant plaza whose future tenants are currently unknown but could be a mix of retail and a small restaurant.
In addition, construction plans for the Ace Medical Plaza (M3 Outparcel C) were just submitted to the county in February. This site is located immediately in front of Amberlin and will be a two-story, 15,000 sq.-ft. building occupying Outparcel C of the Wiregrass development, at the southeast corner of BBD and Eagleston Blvd.
These are just a few of the roughly 4,000 people who showed up for BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapelâs community open house on Feb. 18. (Photo: John C. Cotey)
âI donât like hospitals,â the Tampa truck driver said, smiling, âbut if I ever need to go to one, I hope itâs this one.â
Walker was one of an estimated 4,000 people who took part in the areaâs newest hospitalâs 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.
âItâs just been extremely exciting, rewarding, and humbling seeing the response from the community,â she said. âIâm being thanked for coming to this community. It just feels like such a blessingâŠand we will live up to their expectations.â
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 nonprofitâs 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.
âSo, if anyone with colon cancer needs to have parts of their colon removed, it can be done with the robot,â Schulkowski said. âThe 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.âŠand what most people want is to get out of the hospital and get home.â
Much of the planning that went into BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel was about comfort.
âWe really thought about what it feels like to be a patient, and how much most people really donât like to be in a hospital,â Schulkowski said. âSo, we really tried to design it with that perspective in mind, and really make it a comfortable, healing environment.â
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.
âWe went all out to make sure we had the absolute best technology available for the community,â 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. âWe can pretty much double everything,â 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. âThat 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?,â Schulkowski said. âWhile youâre waiting for those tests, you donât need to be up in the hospital, youâre just waiting on getting some test results. Weâre gonna keep you comfortable, get those test results and then, hopefully, send you on your way.â
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 â five ribbons coming together. Each ribbon has one of the five BayCare values engraved on it: Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Dignity.
âI wanted the very first thing that our community saw when they came onto campus (were) the BayCare values, because thatâs what we bring to this community,â Schulkowski said.
The new BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel (rendering above) should be completed by 2023, which means Wesley Chapel will have two hospitals within two miles of each other on BBD Blvd.
Wesley Chapel may be known for its growth and burgeoning housing and restaurant markets, but by 2023, it also will be home to two major hospitals.
On Dec. 2, BayCare held a cere-monial groundbreaking event â construction had already previously begun â before a small crowd of BayCare executives, local politicians and invited community members.
The 86-bed, state-of-the-art hospital is scheduled to be completed in early 2023. According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, planned are 30 medical/surgical inpatient beds, 12 critical care inpatient beds and 10 emergency department beds.
âWhile 2020 has been an unprecedented year for health care that has called for tough decisions and creative solutions, we are grateful to celebrate the long-term goals that brought us to this moment,â said BayCare Chairman of the Board Eric Obeck at the ribbon cutting. âIâm proud to be part of an organization that keeps setting the pace, even as we react to the coronavirusâ impact on our daily business.â
The new hospital will be located at the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Boulevard and Eagleston Blvd. in Seven Oaks, which is just two miles north of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, which opened as Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel in 2012.
BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel will offer comprehensive medical services and health care resources, including an emergency department, an intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds, diagnostic services such as an imaging department and lab, as well as physical rehabilitation.
BayCare also touts the jobs the new facility will bring to Pasco County. Roughly 500 combined employees will work on constructing the 318,000-square-foot hospital, and then staffing it. According to BayCare, it is investing $246 million in Pasco County.
âAcross our system, it is the nearly 30,000 people who work here that make BayCare a great place to work,â said BayCare executive vice president and chief operating officer Glenn Waters. âAt the same time, we are proud our patient outcomes are among the best as well.â
BayCare purchased 34.6 acres of the planned new site for $15 million in 2006, and then paid $6.67 million for an adjoining 19.9-acre parcel in 2007, for a combined $21.67 million.
Also in 2007, BayCare purchased an 18.25-acres parcel of land across Eagleston and west of BBD in Wiregrass Ranch for $9.4 million, opening the door for possible expansion.
The company originally met with county planners in 2018, looking to build a 60-bed acute care hospital on an 111-acre site it had planned to acquire in the northeast quadrant of the future I-75 exit at Overpass Rd. â construction of which has not yet begun.
âTo the leaders here planning new construction in the midst of a pandemic, I thank you,â Waters said. âTo the elected officials who have joined us today and who are balancing so many unforeseen challenges this year, I thank you. And, to the local community members who have endured a year like no other, I thank you. We look forward to getting to know each other as BayCare grows along with Pasco County.â
The big, inflatable dalmatian on S.R. 56, less than a mile east of I-75, stands guard over the Pet & Fit Center plaza that is home to Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel.
Earlier this month, St. Petersburg resident Diane Grey was driving home from north Florida with her dog, a 108-pound Rhodesian ridgeback named Morocco. She was getting close to Pasco County when she says Morocco began showing signs of illness. She got off the interstate and pulled into a gas station.
âI saw he was in distress, so I called my vet in St. Pete,â she says. Morocco was anxious because of all the travel and was suffering from heat exhaustion. Diane was told not to wait until she got home, but to seek help for Morocco immediately.
She searched the internet and found Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel, which had only recently opened one exit away.
âI was so worked up and emotional,â she says. âWhen I saw the Pet Urgent Care sign, it was the best thing I ever saw. They were really friendly and took care of Morocco immediately.â
It is the kind of important emergency services for your pet management had in mind when Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel opened on April 15, making it the first urgent care clinic for pets in the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa area.
Pet Urgent Care shares a building with Dr. Sree Reddyâs Seven Oaks Pet Hospital, which first opened in 2007, and moved to its current location on S.R. 56, just east of I-75, in the plaza called the Pet & Fit Center, in 2016.
Medical director Dr. Gina Ushi is one of three experienced pet emergency veterinarians youâll find at Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel.
The Pet & Fit Center is now a place where pet owners can visit their veterinarian, stop by the nearby retail store for pet products, such as food, toys, treats, beds and much more. The retail store is Pet Depot, and it occupies 3,000 square feet next door to the pet hospitals.
Seven Oaks Pet Hospital treat dogs, cats and exotic pets. When the pet hospital closes, the urgent care center opens.
Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel is open seven days a week until 11 p.m. (see full hours at the end of this story).
Making Pet Urgent Care Closer & More Convenient
Gina Ushi, DVM, is the medical director for Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel. Prior to joining the pet hospital, Dr. Ushi worked at an emergency clinic in Tampa.
Dr. Ushi earned her DVM degree in 2009 from the University of Florida in Gainesville. She had previously earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from Xavier University in New Orleans, LA, in 2003.
âIf people have an emergency with a pet in this area, we want them to know they donât have to drive down to Tampa,â she says. âWhen I worked in Tampa, we would often get calls from Wesley Chapel where people would ask, âis there anything closer?ââ
Now, she says, there finally is a closer option for pets with all kinds of urgent medical needs, such as bite wounds or lacerations, not eating or drinking, or toxin ingestion.
âWe see pets with allergic reactions, ear and eye infections, vomiting and/or diarrhea,â Dr. Ushi explains, âor minor traumas, such as they jumped off the bed and now theyâre limping.â
There are no scheduled appointments, so all patients are seen on a walk-in basis. Dr. Ushi says pet owners can call ahead so the staff is prepared for you when you get there, but even that isnât necessary.
Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel is fully staffed with veterinarians who are all experienced in emergency medicine. Dr. Ushi is joined by Dr. Megan Niedens, who was Dr. Ushiâs classmate and also received her DVM degree from UF in 2009, and Dr. Michele Lentovich, who received her DVM degree from UF in 2005. Each of the three doctors has more than 10 years of experience in emergency medicine for animals.
Dr. Ushi says their experience is critical when it comes to being able to save the life of a pet, because a doctor experienced in caring for animals is not the same as one experienced in handling emergencies. âWhen you visit our urgent care, you will see a doctor who has been in emergency medicine for at least 10 years,â Dr. Ushi explains. âYou can rest assured youâre seeing a highly trained, highly experienced doctor.â
Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel sees dogs, cats, rabbits and ferrets. The doctors will sometimes see other exotic animals and birds, but thatâs at the doctorâs discretion. Not every doctor is comfortable with every animal, so it will depend upon which doctor is available.
Dr. Ushi advises that anyone who has birds or small exotic animals should call before walking in to determine whether or not they can be seen at the urgent care facility. Most exotics can be scheduled at the regular hospital by appointment.
âWe are a bridge between your family veterinarian and an overnight emergency facility,â explains Dr. Ushi. Sometimes, she says, a petâs illness is so critical that they must be sent somewhere else for overnight care but, in most cases, they are able to be treated and sent home.
In fact, Dr. Ushi says, many of the cases they see are minor issues where a pet owner simply canât get to their own vet during regular office hours.
Whether a pet is regularly seen at Seven Oaks Pet Hospital, or any other veterinarian, they are still welcome to come to Pet Urgent Care, if needed.
Diane and Morocco will forever be grateful. She says the doctors at Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel were able to stabilize Morocco so he could travel the rest of the way home.
âWhen youâre so stressed like that, it was a wonderful feeling that everyone had great customer service,â Diane says, âfrom the receptionist to the vet who treated him. The facility was clean and easy to navigate. They saved my dogâs life.â
She says that Morocco is doing much better now. She also took her paperwork from the visit to her vet back home and asked if the services that were recommended, such as blood work, were necessary, and if what she was charged was reasonable.
Her veterinarian confirmed that he agreed with the recommendations of Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel. âSo, they have integrity, too,â says Diane.
Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel is located at 27027 S.R. 56 (look for the big, inflatable dalmatian). Pet Urgent Care of Wesley Chapel is currently offering a special of 10-percent off the regular exam fee for all new clients. It is open Monday-Friday, 6 p.m.â11 p.m., 2 p.m.â11 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m.â11 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 279-6500 or visit UrgentPetCareOfWesleyChapel.com.
