By Michele Miller
What’s What New Port Richey
September 11, 2024
Our tour guide was beaming as she led us down the sparkling hallways of FDH Pasco’s new health facility on State Road 52 in Hudson. Being able to show off the new digs and the ribbon-cutting ceremony held earlier on the morning of August 23 was a few years in the making. A much-anticipated opening of a “one-stop” healthcare experience to serve many in need brought out area dignitaries and community members who were treated to refreshments, some health department swag, and a tour.
In March of 2021, the Pasco County Commission voted unanimously to purchase the two-story, 33,000-square-foot former Summit Medical Center building in Hudson for $2.9 million with plans to consolidate services in west Pasco that were previously located at facilities on Main Street and Little Road in New Port Richey.
The new building combines all those services under one roof – from immunizations to epidemiology, WIC Services, to environmental health. It also ferments a partnership with the non-profit Premier Community Health Care which provides dental services to at the new facility as well as their new building on Rowan Road in New Port Richey.
The unveiling of the newly refurbished building showed a commitment to the health and well-being of the community in that for the first time all services would be under one roof, FDH Pasco Health Officer Trang L. Chitakone said in prepared remarks.
The “one-stop” option means that those bringing in their child for health services, immunizations, or other WIC services could simply walk across the hall to be seen for dental care provided on an income-based sliding scale with services provided by Premier Community HealthCare.
Photo | Michele Miller
“It’s a wonderful partnership,” said Pasco County Tax Collector, Mike Fasano. “Thousands and thousands of people don’t have access to health care or a physician. They can come here.”
The “takes a village” concept was lauded by Premier Community Healthcare Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Resnick and fellow speakers, Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano and Commission Chairman, Ron Oakley.
The new health facilities show that health care in Pasco County is “Second to none. Top-notch,” Commissioner Oakley said, noting that Moffit, Advent, Bay Care, Orlando Health, and All Children’s hospitals were all opening sites in the county, and in doing so were making “citizens benefactors of the best health care in Pasco County.”
Link to Websites and News Stories
- Florida Department of Health Pasco –pasco.floridahealth.gov
- Premiere Community Health Care – premierhc.org
- Pasco County Health Department to open new dental clinic, BayNews9, August 2024
- Premier Community Health opens one-stop shop in New Port Richey, Suncoast News, May 2024
- Pasco approves building purchase for new Health Department site, Tampa Bay Times, March 2021 – $$ Paywall
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