New health care center opens in Lakewood Ranch

The fact Lakewood Ranch is maintaining its status as the No. 1 selling multi-generational community in the nation has long been on the radar of the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.

On Friday, an open house was held at the new Sarasota Memorial Health Care Center at Lorraine Corners in Lakewood Ranch. It comes just days after the real estate consulting firm RCLCO announced Lakewood Ranch once again held the top spot with 824 new home sales from Jan. 1 through the end of June.

The $6.7 million, 12,000-square-foot facility features two primary care practices — FPG Pediatrics at Lorraine Corners and FPG Internal Medicine at Lorraine Corners — that are part of Sarasota Memorial's First Physicians Group network.The center will open Monday.

"This is the culmination of a three-year project," said Michelle Shirey, executive director of FPG. "This is a growing community and it's where families are locating. We have ready access to the (SMH) Urgent Care Center at University Parkway and (SMH) Urgent Care at Heritage Harbour."

Part of the new facility will include "time share" offices for physicians. Aida Ybarra, the practice manager for the new facility, explained various physicians will book their office times which will offer the public a wide variety of services. Within the next year, area residents will be able to find physicians specializing in everything from prenatal to geriatrics in the building.

Each primary care practice will open with three physicians. Pediatrics at Lorraine Corners will be represented by doctors Wendy Hurwitz, Rene Sueiro and Lisa Wittmann. Internal Medicine at Lorraine Corners will be represented by Doctors Stephanie Cabello, Brunel Gomez de Tavarez and Matthew Anderson.

Both practices have room to add another doctor when eventually needed.

"We're wide open," Cabello said of their ability to take new patients.

Cabello moved to the area from Pennsylvania and began to work for the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System in December. She said lots of her current patients are transferring to the new office with her from the Waldemere Medical Plaza and for many of those who live in the Lakewood Ranch area, it will be a shorter trip.

"It's just exciting to start this new building," Hurwitz said.

Hurwitz was asked if the perception has been that Lakewood Ranch is mostly a retirement community.

"We live in Sarasota," she said. "So we think LWR is (about) youth."