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New UF Health medical office building soon to start accepting patients in Wildlight

UF Health cut the ribbon today on a new medical office building that will provide comprehensive health services, advanced medical technology and outstanding care to the heart of Nassau County.

The medical office building opens Dec. 6 and includes an urgent care center staffed by UF Health emergency medicine physicians and providers, family medicine, imaging, lab services, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry and, beginning in early January, adult and pediatric dentistry. The building’s 40,000 square feet of office and medical space will use a patient-centered model focused on prevention and early diagnosis.

The facility is part of Wildlight, a new master-planned community located at Interstate 95 and A1A. It is the first step in a strategic collaboration with UF Health, the University of Florida and developer Raydient Places + Properties and offers high-quality health care for residents living in Wildlight and the surrounding communities.

“This project is a milestone for UF Health in Nassau County, and we’re proud to be the first provider of outstanding health care services for people living here in Wildlight,” said Leon L. Haley Jr., M.D., MHSA, CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and dean of the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. “Our patients throughout Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia already know how dedicated we are to healthy living, and now we get to bring that same focus to the people living in and around this community.”

The medical office building is just the first step UF Health is taking to make Wildlight one of the region’s healthiest communities. The organization is also building a wellness center inside the Wildlight neighborhood that will include UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight and a YMCA. That facility is expected to open in early fall 2020.

UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight will offer adult and pediatric rehabilitation services, a partnership with the First Coast YMCA and healthy living classes. Plans include 5,000 square feet of rehabilitative space to provide specialized, one-on-one care. Future expansion can add more than 15,000 square feet for specialty services.

The collaboration between Raydient Places + Properties, UF Health and the University of Florida began in 2017 when the developer reached out to health care organizations in Northeast Florida to find a dedicated partner with the capability and vision to create a new model for better living. As the chosen medical provider for Wildlight, UF Health and the University of Florida will offer the knowledge, faculty physicians and resources to ensure healthy living is integrated into the fabric of the community.

“A little more than two years ago, the University of Florida and UF Health came to us with a bold vision to strategically align forces and break the mold of conventional community development with a new national model for healthier communities at Wildlight,” said Chris Corr, president, Raydient Places + Properties. “Only the University of Florida and its affiliates have the size, scope and breadth of resources to make this ambitious vision a reality, including the direct provision of the highest quality of health and wellness services across North Jacksonville. Wildlight is appreciative of the opportunity to partner with these leading organizations and create an enduring community that embraces essential values for a higher quality of life, including better healthcare, education systems, recreation, sustainable design and social connectivity.”