A New Era in Community Healthcare
Although the concept of a community ambulatory care center isn’t new, the considerations within the design are anything but typical. The ACC goes beyond diagnostic and treatment spaces to deliver patient-centered programs that support wellness, prevention and early diagnosis. As part of a larger community that promotes health, the facility will include group therapy and education space; a “walk-with-your-doc” trail that circles the site and links to miles of trails throughout the community; a children’s outdoor exercise and play yard; a wellness center; and a central activity garden with recreational amenities.
A Design That Aligns
The facility’s clinical services were selected by UF Health to directly respond to the community’s healthcare needs—from primary care and urgent care, to pediatrics, obstetrics, lab and imaging, dentistry and behavioral health. Gresham Smith worked closely with UF Health, leaning into our decades of planning experience to develop an innovative clinic design that aligns with these services.
Prioritizing Pediatrics
The pediatric clinic offers traditional exam and procedure rooms, and the sick waiting area is enhanced with negative air pressure. The clinic also includes a group room with a dedicated to pediatric patients, which can be used for dyslexia tutoring, weekend healthy living programs and science education. The waiting area is also designed to be used for classes and workshops on the weekend.
Embracing Current & Future Technology
Our design incorporates telemedicine infrastructure throughout the building, including all provider offices and exam rooms as well as a group therapy room. This forward-thinking approach not only supports the ACC’s current programs, but also allows the facility to quickly adapt to changing technologies within the next decade. To allow for telepsychiatry, the facility’s psychiatry offices were designed for acoustic separation from the rest of the building to assure patient privacy.
Capturing the Spirit of Florida Lowcountry
While the programs serve as the heart of UF Health’s response to the region’s healthcare needs, the building’s distinctive exterior serves as a landmark face for this new community. Wildlight’s design standards called for an architecture that embraces the North Florida habitat and lifestyle. The term “Florida Lowcountry” was coined to describe connections to nature, history and the community. Working within the design guidelines, we developed an architecture that not only relates to the emerging development, but also reflects UF Health’s commitment to providing the highest level of care.
A New Sense of Place for the Community
Promoting wellness and providing easy access to preventive medicine, Wildlight is now slated to become a national model for healthier communities. With UF Health’s ambulatory care center at its core—fitting into the vision of a healthier community and an architectural style that evokes the outdoors and front-porch-friendly living—a new sense of place will replace a previously empty site.
