Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tribune article on the Ruskin Health Center:
By PAUL CATALA | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 28, 2011 Updated: December 28, 2011 – 12:00 AM
RUSKIN —
Until a month ago, Bradley Herremans said some aspects of the Ruskin Health Center had become dysfunctional, broken or outdated and had the aura of an “old Greyhound bus station.”
But through a major renovation project, the clinic now has the ability to treat and counsel patients in a new facility, using state-of-the-art equipment and, most importantly, in less-intimidating surroundings.
Since re-opening Oct. 26 at 2814 S.E. 14th Ave. and expanding, an average of 200 patients have been seen, said Herremans, chief executive officer for Suncoast Community Health Centers, which operates Ruskin and three other health clinics in Hillsborough County.
Herremans and Betsy Martinez, the Ruskin center’s office manager, met with nurses, doctors, a pharmacist and some patients during a recent workday. Herremans, who has been with Suncoast Community since 2008, said the staff is working to get away from the health center’s reputation as a place for “health care for the poor.”
“Through our staff and technology, we’re trying to get away from the sense that this place is just for the poor. We want to be a place where all of the community goes for health care,” he said.
Thanks to the renovation — which used a $3.8 million U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration stimulus grant awarded Oct. 19, 2009 — services, rooms and patient capacity limits have grown.
Among the services the clinic offers are family practice, pediatrics, dentistry, pharmacy, laboratory work, social work, health education and transportation for unfunded patients. There are 34 examination and seven waiting rooms, and an average of 300 prescriptions are filled in the pharmacy daily.
Patient-focused renovation highlights include an expanded obstetrician-gynecologist area; a larger pediatric area with sick-well waiting room; a renovated dental clinic; and 10 examination rooms. Structural improvements include complete renovation of 14,000 square feet of existing interior, updated exterior and a new roof, air conditioner, plumbing and electrical infrastructure.
Martinez, who has worked for the clinic for 30 years, said positive feedback on the changes have come from not only employees and patients, but from vendors and patients’ families.
“I’m excited, especially about the technology and (computerized) medical records upgrade. It’s easier to get records for the doctors and it’s more expedient for the patients,” she said.
The range in cost for a visit to the Ruskin Health Center is $15 to $96, with medication costs based on a sliding scale and averages about $6, based on family size and income. The clinic is part of the Hillsborough County Health Care Plan, said Herremans.
Additionally, the clinic’s women’s health services are affiliated with South Bay Hospital, and mothers can deliver at Tampa General Hospital, Brandon Regional Hospital and South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City.
The clinic’s changes are significant in giving health care workers the ability to perform at high standards and changing the perception of a public health care facility, said physician Sathya Rau, who has worked at Ruskin facility for five years.
“In the old clinic, it was hard to keep sick kids away from the healthy ones; we had no safety nets to keep that from happening. We have them now,” he said.
A grand opening reception and public tour was given Oct. 29, featuring Herremans, Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman and state Rep. Greg Steube, R-Bradenton.
For information, call (813) 349-7800 or visit www.suncoast-chc.org.
