By D’Ann Lawrence White, Patch Staff
Via: https://patch.com/florida/carrollwood/senior-care-provider-makes-200-million-investment-tampa-bay
TAMPA, FL — ChenMed, a leading primary care provider, plans to open 10 new Dedicated Senior Medical Centers in Tampa Bay, a $200 million investment.
The announcement coincided last month with the opening of Dedicated’s newest center in Largo, 7050 Ulmerton Road. Another grand opening is planned Oct. 17-18 for a Dedicated center in North Tampa, 1901 Fletcher Ave.
ChenMed first introduced Tampa Bay Medicare-eligible seniors to Dedicated centers in August 2017 when it opened facilities in Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg.
“We’ve seen burgeoning local demand for the affordable VIP care that Dedicated physicians and care teams consistently provide,” said Dr. Gordon Chen, ChenMed chief medical officer. “Remarkable organic growth, prompted by happy patients referring in family members and friends, is why our first three Tampa Bay centers attracted over 1,300 members in just six months, and then about doubled membership during our second six months of operation.”
ChenMed operates about 50 Chen, Dedicated and JenCare Senior Medical Centers serving diverse elderly populations in seven states. It emphasizes prevention and services, offering on-site specialists and medication dispensing, door-to-doctor transportation and more face-to-face time with primary care physicians. Dedicated centers bring affordable health care to more Tampa seniors at little to no cost to patients.
“For more than 30 years, ChenMed physicians have been practicing medicine differently,” said Dr. Gaurov Dayal, ChenMed president of new markets and chief growth officer. “Our PCPs share their cell phone numbers with patients, encouraging immediate calls and/or walk-in appointments whenever they might not be feeling well. Our doctors are passionate about honoring seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health.”
Dr. Chen encouraged seniors and caregivers to attend the grand opening of the North Tampa center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and meet the Dedicated doctors.
“Come see how we effectively detect and manage high-risk diseases; deliver VIP service; and reduce hospital sick days,” he said. “Come learn how we personalize care to help folks keep doing what they most enjoy with the family and friends they most love.”
Dedicated will create 70 new jobs at the Largo and North Tampa center, and hundreds of jobs over the next five years, including physicians, clinical support staff, administrators and community engagement specialists.
The new centers also are being supported by Turner Impact Capital, one of the nation’s largest social impact investment firms, through the Turner Healthcare Facilities Fund.
“Turner Impact Capital is delighted to be helping ChenMed accelerate the openings of high-quality medical facilities for under-served patient populations,” said Bobby Turner, CEO, Turner Impact Capital. “The Turner Healthcare Facilities Fund is well-positioned to invest up to $500 million in community-serving healthcare facilities to measurably improve patient health, increase patient satisfaction and reduce disparities in healthcare outcomes in disadvantaged communities.”