BayCare will take over Winter Haven-based Gessler Clinic in December
BayCare Health System has announced its acquisition of Gessler Clinic in Winter Haven.
BayCare will begin operating at Gessler Clinic locations on Dec. 2 and plans to retain many of its providers and team members, the company said Friday afternoon in a news release.
Gessler Clinic, founded in 1957 by Dr. Ivan Gessler and two partners, Dr. Newell J. Griffith and Dr. Charles T. Parks, now has 40 doctors and six physician assistants in 20 specialties, BayCare said in the release. The physician-owned medical group has five offices, including the main clinic in Winter Haven, that cover more than 90,000 square feet of patient and office space.
“Gessler’s long-standing dedication and high-quality service to its patients make it a natural fit to expand BayCare’s commitment to the community,” BayCare Co-Chief Operating Officer Lou Galdieri said in the release. “This transition underscores a mutual vision to elevate health care delivery in Winter Haven and Polk County.”
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BayCare did not release financial details on the acquisition.
“As a physician, you want nothing more than to take good care of your patients,” Richard LaCalamito, as osteopathic doctor and Gessler Clinic member since 1996, said in the release. “With this transition, our community’s health will remain the driving priority of this clinic.”
Gessler Clinic's main office has specialists in family practice, internal medicine, cardiology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, rheumatology, general/thoracic/vascular surgery, colo-rectal surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, dermatology, gynecology, ophthalmology, nephrology, endocrinology and orthopedics, according to its website. Its Women’s Division on Central Avenue provides obstetric and gynecologic services.
Gessler Clinic’s main location at 635 First St. N. is across the street from Winter Haven Hospital, and many of its providers practice there and at Winter Haven Women’s Hospital, the release said. The two hospitals joined BayCare in 2013.
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BayCare also owns Bartow Regional Medical Center and a Winter Haven-based urgent care center and has recently opened two other urgent care centers in Polk County.
BayCare, the largest not-for-profit health care provider in the Tampa Bay area, operates 16 hospitals, including St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: BayCare will take over Winter Haven-based Gessler Clinic in December
