Local healthcare giants plan advanced, cutting-edge medical services and facilities in the new Connected City
Metro Development Group has broken ground on the Connected City, a new 21st century approach to infusing high speed technology into the fabric of an entire community. A highlight of this new project is an area exclusively dedicated to the advancement of healthcare and wellness in a yet-to-be-named, health focused campus. Leading this initiative in partnership with Metro are two highly respected healthcare leaders, Florida Hospital and Tampa General Hospital, who together will operate as West Florida Health for this new venture in the Connected City.
With a 10-year master plan, this wellness district is scheduled to include advanced research facilities, an innovation center, medical hospital complete with med-spa and a health and performance institute.
Unlike other new communities, the Connected City is ignited by the fastest internet and WiFi speeds in the nation using its proprietary ULTRAFi technology. As the first Smart Gigabit Community in the United States to be built from the ground up, this area is well positioned and best equipped to offer modern healthcare advantages not possible anywhere else in the country.
By bringing the digital and physical worlds together, modern medicine will be at the forefront of this community. Examples include tele-medicine, streamlined patient-focused medical facilities, expansion of at-home health options, and the ability for healthcare professionals to collaborate with experts seamlessly around the globe.
“At Florida Hospital, we believe innovative partnerships are key to transforming health care. Together, we are creating a wellness-destination that will combine high speed technology and the next generation of medical services. It’s an exciting time for the Pasco County community,” said Mike Schultz, President & CEO Florida Hospital West Florida Division.
“This new wellness district will make a significant impact on growing Pasco County’s workforce with high-level, sophisticated jobs, which we expect to fuel tremendous economic growth in the area,” said Bill Cronin, President & CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council.
“Our goal isn’t to improve upon what has been done before in the health and wellness industry, but to totally reimagine it using technology to enhance people’s lives,” said Kartik Goyani, Vice President of Operations with Metro Development Group and the visionary behind the Connected City. “We are excited to work with Florida Hospital and Tampa General to make this area a destination for health and human performance. This is one of many partnerships that we plan to establish with local and national organizations to help put Pasco County on the map as a live-work-play community.”
Metro Development Group, Florida Hospital and Tampa General Hospital will be on-hand for an in-person Visioning Session in March, which will include further details and exciting news about this forward-thinking approach to healthcare and beyond.
Aside from the health-focused attributes of the Connected City, the area will boast two Crystal Lagoons, one in each of Metro’s master planned communities of Epperson and Mirada. These lagoons will be among the very first in the United States with expected completion of the first lagoon in late 2017. Additionally, this community is creating roadways specifically for autonomous vehicles, an enviable model for top education, WiFi Parks and much more, which makes the development of an advanced healthcare center a perfect fit for this city of the future.
The Connected City is bordered by SR 52 to the north, SR 54 to the south, I-75 to the west, and Curley Road to the east.
About Metro Development Group A Tampa-based company founded in 2003, Metro Development Group is committed to bringing some of the most innovative technologies and amenities to homebuilders and homebuyers. With the introduction of the Connected City, Metro Places, ULTRAFi and Metro Lagoons by Crystal Lagoons, Metro continues to be the gold standard in the development of master planned communities. For more information, visit www.MetroDevelopmentGroup.com
About Florida Hospital West Florida Division The Florida Hospital West Florida Division is a not-for-profit 1,295-bed hospital system composed of 9 hospitals including Florida Hospital Tampa/Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute, Florida Hospital Carrollwood, Florida Hospital at Connerton Long Term Acute Care, Florida Hospital North Pinellas, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Sebring, Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Lake Placid and Florida Hospital Wauchula. Part of the Adventist Health System, Florida Hospital is a leading health network comprised of 26 hospitals throughout the state. For more information, visit www.FloridaHospital.com
About Tampa General Hospital Tampa General is a 1011-bed Level 1 trauma center on the west coast of Florida that serves as the region’s only center for comprehensive burn care. It is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers, and a nationally designated magnet hospital for quality nursing care. TGH is the only nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center in Hillsborough County and is also a state-certified spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation center. For more information, go to www.tgh.org
