FSU opening primary health center in southwest Tallahassee.

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/04/04/fsu-college-medicine-moves-plans-southwest-medical-center/482534002/

Florida State University’s College of Medicine is moving ahead with plans to open a primary health center in southwest Tallahassee.

Dr. Daniel Van Durme, senior associate dean for clinical and community affairs, said a meeting will be held this week with architects to discuss designs for FSU PrimaryHealth, a comprehensive care center at Roberts Avenue and Eisenhower Street.

The next step is to seek bids from contractors, firm up building costs and getting final approval from FSU President John Thrasher. A groundbreaking is scheduled for May 17.

“We have a strong commitment from FSU’s leadership to proceed,” Van Durme, adding the university decided on building a standalone facillity rather than using a modular building.

If things go as planned, the 10,000-square-foot complex could be completed by March.

“We will be providing services for children and adults and we will be integrating mental health services as needed, rather than referring you elsewhere,” he said.

Van Durme said the initial plan is to have the center open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the possibility of extended hours once demand has been evaluated.

It will be staffed by pediatricians and family physicians currently on faculty at the College of Medicine, in addition to others who will be hired in the next several months.

In addition, medical students and students from the college’s Physician Assistant program will work there, along with nurses, office staff and medical assistants.

While the center will be available to anyone in Leon and surrounding counties, one reason for the location is to serve the moderate to lower income residents in nearby Providence, Mabry Manor, The Meadows and Seminole Manor communities near Sabal Palm Elementary School. Residents from the neighborhoods will be selected to sit on an advisory board.

“We are actually the only medical school that does not yet have some sort of facility like this, where the faculty is seeing patients and teaching at the same time,” Van Durme said.

He said the plan is not to grow into a medical school “that employs hundreds of doctors in dozens of locations, generating millions of dollars of revenue.”

Patients on Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and those non-insured all will be served, he said. What percentages of patients accepted in those categories will later be determined, he said, adding, “we have to maintain some minimal profit margin.”

The new location will be built in a community where there are no nearby medical facilities or grocery outlets.

FSU owned 3 acres at the site and recently purchased an additional acre from the city. An abandoned Florida Highway Patrol building also sits on 2 acres, but it will eventually be knocked down.

The abandoned Florida Highway Patrol building building on Eisenhower Street, pictured Wednesday, April 4, 2018, will be knocked down to make way for a new primary health center operated by FSU's College of Medicine.