Tampa General Hospital and Kitson & Partners Announce Partnership to Offer World-Class Care to Residents of Babcock Ranch Community

New TGH Urgent Care Powered by Fast Track Will Open in 2025, Bringing One of the Nation's Leading Academic Health Systems to Southwest Florida; Additional Plans in Progress to Meet Health Care Needs of Growing Community.

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and Kitson & Partners announced today an agreement to bring Tampa General's world-class care to Babcock Ranch, America's first solar-powered town. This partnership connects Babcock Ranch's innovative and growing community with Tampa General Hospital, one of the nation's leading academic health systems.

"This agreement represents a partnership between two visionary organizations that are committed to leveraging technology and innovation to better care for our communities," said Stacey Brandt, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Tampa General Hospital. "Soon, residents of Babcock Ranch will have access to the world-class care we offer at TGH, rooted in technology and innovation just like their state-of-the-art community." 

Ranked as the nation's 5^th best-selling master planned community in 2022 and encompassing 18,000 acres, Babcock Ranch is planned for 19,500 residences and 6,000,000 square feet of commercial space. Created by Kitson & Partners with the philosophy that smart growth and sustainability work hand in hand, half of Babcock Ranch's footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for Babcock Ranch's homes and the Founder's Square downtown district.

"Health and wellness is an integral part of Babcock Ranch, so this expansion of health care offerings will now give our residents access to best-in-class care," said Tom Hoban, president and chief investment officer of Kitson & Partners. "In addition to the Lee Memorial Physician Group and WellWay services available in Founder's Square, there will be a robust care team available to meet all the needs of our growing community including preventative, routine and urgent care. We know access to quality care is critically important and the TGH partnership will undoubtedly deliver that to our residents."

As a first step, Tampa General will construct a TGH Urgent Care Powered by Fast Track at the main entrance of Babcock Ranch in The Shoppes at Yellow Pine on Cypress Parkway. It is expected to be a 6,500-square-foot facility that will serve approximately 8,000 residents who currently live in Babcock Ranch, as well as the residents in the surrounding communities.

The rapid growth of Babcock Ranch has accelerated the demand for local access to quality health care. With the planned TGH Urgent Care Powered by Fast Track, residents will soon have access to immediate care from world-class providers for common illnesses and injuries. With the help of care navigators, they will also gain more efficient and timely access to the specialists and experts across the academic health system.

The 6,500-square-foot facility includes 2,500 square feet for TGH to provide more health care services to the community. TGH will weave in care navigation to facilitate appointments, respond to specific care needs and help access community resources and support. TGH plans to engage directly with the residents of Babcock Ranch through outreach and focus groups to gauge their health care needs. With this information, Tampa General will work with stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that can evolve and grow to meet the needs of the community over time.

TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track offers efficient, high-quality urgent care performed by board-certified primary care providers in a patient-friendly environment. TGH Urgent Care is accredited through the Urgent Care Association (UCA), the highest level of distinction for urgent care centers, which sets standards and criteria for quality of patient care, safety and scope of services.

"With the new TGH Urgent Care Powered by Fast Track planned in Babcock Ranch, we're bringing world-class care to Southwest Florida," said Tampa General Hospital executive vice president and chief ambulatory care officer, Adam Smith. "Area residents will have access to care for common illnesses and injuries in a convenient location. Should a patient need further care, we can help connect them with the services of our nationally recognized academic health system, with best-in-class providers located across the state."

The new clinic, which will be open seven days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., will treat common illnesses and injuries. Common tests, check-ups and procedures offered at TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track include school and sports physicals, X-rays and certain laboratory tests. This new clinic also will offer testing for infectious conditions, including COVID-19 and the flu. Occupational health services are also available and include pre-employment screenings, employment physicals, workers' compensation injuries and vaccinations.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News and World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals, with six specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women and top 25 in Florida in the 2023 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT KITSON & PARTNERS
With roots dating back to 1992, Kitson & Partners is a private real estate development company focused on creating vibrant, engaging places that spur economic growth and deliver enduring value. Over the past three decades, Kitson & Partners has established a set of guiding principles based on the development and management of sustainable master-planned communities and retail centers across the State of Florida, enabling the company to reduce environmental impacts and improve quality of life. In 2006, Kitson & Partners completed a historic land purchase in Southwest Florida, encompassing an area five times the size of the island of Manhattan, part of which has become Babcock Ranch -- America's first solar-powered town.

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital