New ER slated for Meadow Pointe
AdventHealth and Pasco County leaders broke ground on July 9 on the new Meadow Pointe off-site Emergency Room (ER) in the quickly developing area between AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills, according to a news release.
The more than 13,000-square-foot ER, at 5170 Chapel Commerce Drive in Wesley Chapel, will have 12 patient beds, two triage rooms, and will offer imaging and lab services, the release says.
The new emergency room joins AdventHealth’s eight other freestanding ERs across the Tampa Bay area. This also includes an extensive and dedicated EMS fleet with 21 ambulances and AdventHealth AirStar 1, a medical helicopter dedicated to critical patient transport across the region.
Construction on the $26 million project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.
Respiratory virus updates
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its recommendations for vaccination against COVID-19, the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), according to a news release.
The updated 2024-2025 recommendations are:
- COVID-19: The CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 vaccine when the vaccines are available later this year. The new vaccine is formulated to protect against currently circulating variants of COVID-19 and from potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter.
- Flu: The CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months of age and older, with rare exceptions, receive an updated flu vaccine to reduce the risk of influenza and its potentially serious complications this fall and winter. Most people only need one dose of the vaccine each season. September and October remain the best times for most people to get vaccinated.
• RSV: If you have not already received an RSV vaccine and are age 60 or older, the CDC recommends a single dose of the RSV vaccine for people ages 60 to 74 who are at an increased risk with certain chronic medical conditions such as lung or heart disease, or they live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, as well as everyone age 75 and older. The best time to get vaccinated is in late summer or early fall, before RSV usually starts to spread in a community. However, eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time.
New medical education program opens
AdventHealth Wesley Chapel hosted a ribbon-cutting on July 16 for the hospital’s new Family Medicine Residency practice. The state-of-the-art facility will play a critical role in addressing the growing health care needs of one of the fastest-growing areas in Pasco County and Florida, according to a news release.
The newly renovated 13,000-square-foot practice features an in-house laboratory, procedure room, classrooms and 11 exam rooms. Residents and supervising physicians will provide comprehensive family medicine services, including lab work, 4D ultrasounds, preventive care, minor procedures and chronic disease management.
The program will train eight residents over three years, providing them with hands-on experience in a supportive, community-based setting.
