Community Health Centers, a federally qualified center with more than a dozen locations in Central Florida, has opened a new facility in Four Corners at 905 Cagan View Road in Clermont.

“Our new center will be accessible for everyone, regardless of insurance status or income,” said Dr. Debra Andree, CHC’s President & CEO, in a news release.

The health center offers pediatrics, family medicine, gynecology, pediatric and adult dental services, optometry and behavioral health.

It also has an on-site lab and low-cost pharmacy.

Health centers such as CHC accepts Medicaid, Medicare and most private insurance plans. They also have a sliding fee program based on family size and income for those who meet the income guidelines.

New hospital tower in Clermont

Orlando Health is planning to build a five-story tower at South Lake Hospital in Clermont, according to GrowthSpotter, Orlando Sentinel’s sister publication. The new tower is planned for the southwest corner of the hospital and connects to the Women’s Center.

It would add eight ICU beds and 30 inpatient bed on the fourth and fifth floors each, according to GrowthSpotter. Ten labor and inpatient rooms will be added to the Women’s Center. The health system also filed a new 15-year master plan with the city for the National Training Center, which is part of the South Lake Hospital, according to GrowthSpotter.

St. Pete hospital deal OK’d

The St. Petersburg City Council has approved Bayfront Health’s 50-year land lease agreement with Orlando Health, paving the way for the acquisition, which is expected to close at the end of September, pending regulatory approvals.

Orlando Health signed an agreement to buy Bayfront at the end of June. The acquisition will include the 480-bed Bayfront Health hospital, an ambulatory surgery center, Convenient Care Clinics, multiple physician practices, an imaging center, a wound care and hyperbaric center and a free-standing emergency department located in Pinellas Park, according to a news release.

$1 million in grants awarded

UnitedHealthcare awarded more than $1 million to eight Florida organizations to expand access to care. In Orlando, Latino Leadership received $150,000 to provide tele-behavioral health services to uninsured Latinos through a collaborative model including primary care, care management and psychiatric consultation.

UCP Downtown/BETA Center also received $150,000 to provide a comprehensive behavioral and mental health support program for students and parents, according to the health insurance company.

“This unprecedented environment has compounded challenges faced by Florida’s most vulnerable residents and created further barriers to accessing the health care and services they need,” said Michael Lawton, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Florida, in a news release. “Our support of these organizations in Florida through this UnitedHealthcare Empowering Health commitment will help provide critical aid and resources to the communities in Florida that need it the most.”

Waterhouse joins board

Steve Waterhouse, CEO of The Waterhouse Group and a resident of The Villages, is the new board chair for Central and North Florida Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. He succeeds Damian May of Ponte Vedra Beach, who served a two-year term. Waterhouse’s wife, Gina, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016, according to a news release.

“When Gina received her diagnosis, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Central and North Florida Chapter was a critical part of our forming a positive outlook for the future. In this new leadership role, I hope to help others do the same and, ultimately, work to find a cure so we can one day identify the first survivor of this terrible disease,” Waterhouse said in a news release.

nmiller@orlandosentinel.com.

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