Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Breaks Ground On New Wellness Plaza

Pasco County officials and local dignitaries broke ground in April on Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel's new three-story 100,000-square-foot Wellness Plaza.

The facility will supplement Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, a new 80-bed hospital with the capacity of expanding to 288 beds as community health care needs grow. The hospital is expected to open in September 2012 while the Wellness Plaza is slated for January 2013.

“This project is part of the continuum of care for the Wesley Chapel community,” says Donna Jarmusz, senior VP of business development for Alter+Care, who is overseeing the Wellness Plaza project. “The hospital will be treating people who need impatient care for more serious illnesses while the Wellness Center is part of the hospital's mission and philosophy to help people improve and maintain their health.”

The $25 million Wellness Plaza project will feature a 50,000-square-foot wellness facility open to the community on a membership basis. The state-of-the-art facility will include amenities such as an aquatic center with a warm water therapy pool, aquatic group exercise classes including pre- and post-natal classes, a lap pool for swimming and swimming lessons; a 9-mile-to-the-lap indoor track; an extensive fitness area with cardio and strength training equipment; group fitness rooms for yoga, pilates and hot yoga classes; men's, women's and family locker rooms; and a heart healthy cafe.

“The Wellness Plaza will help to give people who have been trying to improve their lifestyle by losing weight or trying to quit smoking live a healthier life,” Jarmusz says. “It will be a major resource with several rehabilitation services in one location.”

The facility will also include a conference area with a demonstration kitchen for healthy cooking classes. Disease management classes will also be available.

“We'll integrate an exercise program with dieticians and nutritional counseling -- whatever you might need to manage your chronic disease,” Jarmusz says.

Other services at the center include physician offices, a women's center and specialty clinics.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Donna Jarmusz, Alter+Care