By Christine Andola
Growing Pains: Health Care Systems Filling the Void
Access to leading-edge medical care continues to be a big reason why people move to Lake and Sumter Counties.
“Sumter and Lake County growth is strongly related to the success of communities such as The Villages that provide a wide scope of healthy living options,” says Jay Wolfson, DrPH, JD, interim dean, College of Public Health at the University of South Florida. “Health care providers, institutional and private practice, find these growth communities attractive and appropriate places to expand their service base.”
Many transplants are drawn by the close proximity of medical specialists and advanced health care for Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions, Alzheimer’s and more. It’s an easy drive to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and the Fixel Institute’s Parkinson’s Center of Excellence in Gainesville, two of several world-class treatment facilities in Florida.
The population growth, especially within certain demographics, makes our area a prime expansion location for health care systems already operating successfully in other parts of the state. The experts are bringing advanced medical treatment options to our community.
UF Health was one of the first to jump in to expand this market by acquiring the hospitals in The Villages and Leesburg in 2019. Around that same time, AdventHealth completed a major expansion of Waterman Hospital in Tavares, and then Orlando Health kicked off a significant expansion of South Lake Hospital in Clermont.
“Central Florida continues to grow exponentially, and our hospitals stand ready to support the newest residents through all phases of life and health,” says Mary C. Mayhew, Florida Hospital Association president and CEO.
HCA Florida Healthcare reached beyond their Ocala Hospital campus to establish a freestanding emergency room in Wildwood, HCA Florida Trailwinds Village Emergency, followed by freestanding ERs in Eustis and Mount Dora. HCA also acquired MD Now urgent care facilities in Lady Lake and Clermont.
AdventHealth Clermont ER
AdventHealth Clermont Health Park
HCA Trailwinds freestanding ER
HCA West Marion groundbreaking
Minneola AdventHealth Hospital rendering
Orlando Health South Lake Hospital’s new patient tower
Orlando Health South Lake Hospital’s new patient tower2
UF Health Brownwood freestanding ER
“We’re dedicated to meeting the needs of our community throughout Central Florida,” said Alan Keesee, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital CEO. “Our growth is in direct response to community need and our commitment to enriching access to exceptional healthcare. We will continue to show up for our patients and their families by caring like family, and ensuring high-quality healthcare is available close to home.”
UF Health expanded services in The Villages with a freestanding emergency room at Brownwood in 2020 and expanded it in 2023 due to patient volume. From there, UF Health turned to the combined urgent care/emergency care model, building one in Eustis and then Clermont.
Clermont is the location of most of AdventHealth’s recent expansion — a freestanding emergency room in 2021, followed by the AdventHealth Clermont Health Park in 2022, which includes a wide range of practice specialties and lab services. AdventHealth Primary Care+ opened this June with the newly expanded and reopened AdventHealth Centra Care Clermont right next door.
“We are committed to providing convenient, whole-person care close to home, wherever consumers live in Central Florida,” says Kari Vargus, CEO of AdventHealth’s Northwest Market.
“With a fast-growing population and a community need for additional access to primary and specialty care, we look forward to offering the residents of South Lake County a complete range of exceptional, compassionate care.”
South Lake County is also a focus area for Orlando Health with its massive addition to South Lake Hospital. The new five-story patient tower includes additional labor and delivery beds, a state-of-the-art nursery and a neonatal intensive care unit shell — 88 additional patient beds in total.
“This is an exciting time for our hospital,” says Lance Sewell, president of Orlando Health South Lake Hospital. “Lake County is steadily and rapidly growing, and we’re excited to continue growing with it. By expanding our facilities, we’ll be able to increase the types of services we offer while providing the quality care that Orlando Health is known for to even more people in the communities we serve.”
Photos: Nicole Hamel
Photos and renderings provided by AdventHealth and Orlando Health
With a bachelor’s degree in communication from the State University of New York, College at New Paltz, in 1990 Christine embarked on a blind journey to building a career. She moved through teaching in the inner city public schools, reporting for a weekly newspaper, writing user manuals and technical documentation at a software company, lobbying and public relations at the state level for national associations and marketing for professional services firms.
Christine’s writing portfolio includes everything from newspapers to grant proposals. She has developed web content, written blogs, ghost-written professional journal articles and drafted ad copy. From technical writing to lifestyle feature pieces, Christine lives by the value of words. She enjoys learning about the people around her and sharing information in a way that resonates with readers.
