New facility in NW Gainesville offers one place for specialty medicine

December 14, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dermatology, cardiology, women’s health, psychiatry, pain medicine and many other medical specialty practices, as well as imaging and laboratory services, are now all in one place at the new UF&Shands at Springhill center in northwest Gainesville. Community and business leaders joined UF&Shands administrators at an official opening ceremony Thursday.

“This new facility is a major step in a series of planned initiatives to provide world-class health care to the citizens of Gainesville and the region. This multi-specialty facility is not just about providing health care in beautiful, spacious surroundings … although it does that … it is about access to our University of Florida specialists in a convenient and highly responsive manner, ” said Dr. David Guzick, UF senior vice president for health affairs and president, UF&Shands Health System. “The new practice will help reduce hassles for our patients so they can focus their energies on getting well, rather than on trying to figure out logistics.”

The $35 million, 111,600-square-foot building on Northwest 39th Avenue is home to the following services:

• Cardiology: subspecialists have expertise in electrophysiology, heart failure, transplantation, interventional cardiology and other fields
• Dermatology: provides general and pediatric consultations, skin cancer evaluation and management and cosmetic services
• Reproductive endocrinology: superior services to address infertility, in vitro fertilization and a variety of gynecologic conditions
• Obstetrics and gynecology: equipped to handle low-risk as well as complicated pregnancies
• Adult psychiatry: faculty experts treat depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction and pain
• Pain medicine: nonsurgical and minimally invasive procedures to treat chronic, disabling pain requiring intensive rehabilitation
• Other medical and surgical specialties
• Radiology: includes diagnostic imaging and mammography
• Laboratories: on-site medical laboratories help speed diagnoses and treatment

The four-story facility is a one-stop shop that makes it easier for patients who need to see multiple specialists. It also brings together parts of practices that had been in different locations around town, allowing for better continuity of care.

“Not enough can be said of streamlining and easing the process by which people can get the care they need,” said Dr. Marvin Dewar, senior associate dean of the UF College of Medicine and CEO of UF Physicians. “We are constantly working to improve the ways that we help our patients, in big ways and with simple touches.”

One simple but helpful touch is the color-coding of check-in and check-out stations, to help patients find their way back to the exits after visiting with their providers.

Photographs of flora, fauna and scenic vistas taken by UF&Shands employees turn the facility into a mini-gallery, in keeping with floor-to-ceiling windows that give a soothing, panoramic view of blue skies and lush vegetation. Design studies show that such images can have a relaxing and healing effect. An external stone and steel staircase surrounded by glass also allows excellent views.

The facility is designed and constructed according to stringent sustainability standards. Expansive windows let natural light stream into the building, while a mesh screen provides shade from the sun. High-efficiency lighting, heating, cooling and insulation systems and low water-use landscaping help round out the building’s environmentally friendly features. All of these details provide a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for patients.

“Our priority is to provide patients with the best quality health care and attentive service to meet their needs,” said Shands CEO Timothy M. Goldfarb. “It is exciting to be able to bring together important health programs in one convenient and well-designed location for the community. We can focus on the details that ultimately make a huge impact on our patients’ positive experience.”