USF Health has broken ground on its new Specialty Care Center in the Villages, providing coordinated health care to the country's largest community of people over the age of 55.
According to USF Health officials, the center will serve as a collaborative compliment to The Villages Health primary care network, which is going to soon have seven different medical offices in The Villages.
Speaking at the formal ground-breaking last week, Dr. Stephen Klasko, USF Health CEO, said such collaboration allows residents to receive health care without leaving their neighborhood.
“Working together, we will be able to provide better health for The Villagers over the entire spectrum of care,” Dr. Klasko said. “Villagers will have a medical home with a patient-centered primary network, access to the best academic specialists, and technology services that include shared electronic records and telehealth opportunities. The mission of USF Health is ‘making life better’ and this partnership will be an embodiment of that mission.”
Villages Health Chair, Dr. Elliot Sussman, also sang the praises of the agreement.
“We are delighted to have our great primary care doctors working with the specialty physicians of USF Health,” Dr. Sussman said. “This partnership will give Villagers access to seamless care that starts with having a Villages Health doctor who knows them and their medical history and can provide top-notch regular care. When they need a specialist, that doctor can connect them to a network of specialists offering the most cutting-edge treatments right here in The Villages.”
The agreement came about after more than 37,000 Villagers responded to a USF College of Public Health survey on their health needs and goals, with a high level of interest in coordinated care and a 'medical home.'
