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New Clinic To Reduce Unnecessary Visits To Florida Hospital

Florida Hospital Tampa.
Florida Hospital Tampa.
Florida Hospital Tampa.

In an effort to expand services and reduce unnecessary hospital visits, opened its first facility connected to a hospital.

The facility is located at Florida Hospital Tampa on Fletcher Avenue but is operated and managed by Tampa Family Health Centers.

SherryHoback, Chief Clinical Services Officer at Tampa Family Health Centers, said the group's17thclinic has several goals.

"We're reducing unnecessary visits to the emergency room, potentially reducing hospital admission and ultimately assisting patients with their chronic medication management,”Hobacksaid.

The center will provide comprehensive health services including adult and pediatric medical care for acute and chronic illnesses.

It has 10 examination rooms, two full-time doctors and created 19 new jobs.  

Tampa Family Health Centers is  a federally qualified health center, serving an underserved area or population, offering a sliding fee scale, and providing comprehensive services. The providers accept private insurances, Medicaid and Medicare, and also give income-based discounts for uninsured patients.

“Tampa Family Health Center will serve nearly 100,000 patients  this year, and we are excited about this unique partnership with Florida Hospital Tampa and; more importantly are excited to be able to expand our reach and increase that access to members of our community when and where they need us,” said the company's CEO Charles R. Bottoms in a news release.

The new center, at 3100 E. Fletcher Ave., is located  at Florida Hospital Tampa, off of the Fletcher Avenue entrance.  The center will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. 

--Daylina Miller is a reporter with WUSF in Tampa. WUSF is a partner with Health News Florida, which receives support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Copyright 2016 Health News Florida

I took my first photography class when I was 11. My stepmom begged a local group to let me into the adults-only class, and armed with a 35 mm disposable camera, I started my journey toward multimedia journalism.
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